Iorana Rapa Nui!

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We landed on 'the belly-button of the world' (or Te pito o te henua in the Rapa Nui tongue), Easter Island, around lunchtime, and our tacky tourist fantasy of being received with a floral lei was fulfilled! Pablo from Aku Aku Tourism drove us the very short distance from Mataveri airport to the Hotel Manutara, where we stopped briefly to admire the tempting pool before walking to the town of Hanga Roa.

After six months of public transport use in Buenos Aires, Raúl was eager to flex his driving muscle and so we rented a scooter for the afternoon, taking in some of the island's sights such as the Rano Kau crater and the seven sea-facing moai (the huge stone statues) at Ahu Akivi before returning to Hanga Roa to eat at the popular Te Moana restaurant.

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Photos

Moai at the Ahu Akivi site
The only moai on the island that face seawards, as opposed to inland.

"Quick! Before somebody sees me in pink!"
Fresh off the plane at Mataveri airport

Pot o' pesos
I almost thought I was back home in Ireland...

Hanga Roa
Easter Island's capital

Comments

[Chris and Nikki]

Amazing, I would love to go one day.