Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

South America » Chile » Easter Island » Hanga Roa
November 8th 2010

Published: November 16th 2010

Arriving in Easter Island (Rapa Nui to the locals, Isla de Pascua to the Chileans), I was once again greeted by a group of musicians playing traditional music, which was a wonderful way to set foot on the island. It is certainly a small place, as the plane seemed to be flying just above the water, then we were on the runway, before once again seeing water where we had to do an about face to head back to the 'terminal'. Whilst it may be a tiny outpost and one of the most, if not the most isolated inhabited island on the planet, it is rich in history and quite simply a wonderful place to be.

I was met at the airport by the incredibly friendly and helpful hostess from the hostel I was staying at. After dumping my pack in my room, she took me to the local car rental place in the one and only township of Hanga Roa and organised a Suzuki Jeep for me so that I could spend the rest of the day touring the island - and what a day it was! I have long been intrigued by this place, so to begin to explore it for myself was a real thrill. After getting acquainted with driving on the opposite side of the road (thankfully this is a sparsely populated place with few vehicles), I was off in search of the famous statues, the moai (listening to the locals, this word seems to be pronounced 'more-why'). I had no idea how many there are. The island abounds in ancient statues, village remains, ahu (the ceremonial altar that the moai are standing on) and I gained a very clear understanding of how large this civilisation once was. There were roughly 9,000 people inhabiting the island at its peak; however, by the late 1800's it had been reduced to 111 Rapa Nui people, due to loss of food, the quaint habit of eating each other, disease from outsiders and slave raids. This is saddening, but the surviving people are making a concerted effort to bring back their culture and language, which I hope they succeed with.

As for the moai, I never got tired at marvelling at them. They are enormous statues carved from the edge of a volcano known as Rano Raraku and this particular quarry was one of my favourite locations that I visited. It was here where I first was rooted to the spot in disbelief and awe, shaking my head and smiling at where I was and the scale of what my eyes were trying to absorb. There are numerous moai here in various sizes and stages of completion. They were carved from above to begin with, shaping the face, before being cut free from the volcano and eased into a shallow pit, standing upright in order to carve the rear of the statue. Once this was complete, the moai was transported to the ahu where it would stare over the village. It was at this point that the eyes were completed and the top knot placed on its head (having been sculpted from a separate quarry). The transporting of these statues to their various locations around the island is the process whereby things started to go awry for the Rapa Nui people, as this required the cutting down of trees to use as rollers, until there were virtually no trees left. No trees = no birds or habitat for other animals. Therefore, food becomes scarce and humans start looking rather tasty.

My favourite moai existed in three separate locations. At Tongariki there are fifteen moai standing in a commanding line that stops you in your tracks when they are staring straight at you. Behind them is the seemingly endless ocean and many people venture here to witness the sunrise. Another favourite spot was at one of the few beaches on the island, known as Anakena. Here, the moai are raised from the sand and are surrounded by palm trees and the blue water of the tiny cove. The final place that will hold a lasting image in my mind's eye is Tahai, where I watched the sun change from a glaring yellow to a melting orange until the disc finally slipped into the ocean behind the four statues which were standing guard on the shore.

An unexpected highlight of this day was crawling through some caves that were created by lava leads and used by the ancient Rapa Nui for shelter from fierce storms and possibly in times of war with other clans. The first one I entered was rather expansive and would be a brilliant place for a primal gathering - it even appeared to have some form of central stone altar. The second cave was breathtaking. After staggering through the dark for a while and not entirely sure where I was going, a shard of light appeared and I moved towards it, discovering that it was a natural window looking out to a nearby islet with the waves crashing some distance below. As I went to leave, I found that I couldn't, so I simply returned and let the view and the aura of the place seep into my being. It was a serene moment in time. Returning to the surface proved to be a little more unsettling, however, as I could not see where I was going and had the occasional thought that I was actually lost in the cave (having seen the film 'The Cave' a couple of years ago didn't help my nerves at all). Obviously, I managed to discover the entrance and returned back to my trusty jeep, which proved to be more hardy that I had first given it credit for.

In my excitement after such a wondrous first day, I jumped at the chance to listen to a local singer perform who is also, by the way, the best surfer on the island. Her name is Alicia Ika and she is a descendent of the original Rapa Nui people. I was captivated by her voice, which I can only compare to Joni Mitchell. Indeed, sometimes I thought I was listening to songs from 'Blue' being performed in an ancient Polynesian dialect. I was lucky enough to buy her last remaining CD recording, which I look forward to listening to when I get home in a few months, as I know that it will take me back to that restaurant/bar once again. I asked her if she had played anywhere else (I was thinking overseas, as she is such an incredible talent) and she said she did...at a few other restaurants in town! Their isolation once again was making itself known to me. This does not hinder them on a personal or spiritual level though, as I found all of the local people to be friendly, warm and relaxed. They are happy people. This particular establishment where Alicia was playing served alcohol, which I should have forseen as a trap to lure me into a night of drinking due to my sense of elation after my first day on the island. The trap worked perfectly and somehow, on only two hours sleep after my overnight flight from Tahiti and with no dinner in my stomach I managed to party with the local people and had a riotous night. Unfortunately, the next day didn't really register, reminding me of why I try to curtail my drinking when I travel.

Day 3 was as remarakable as the first, as I visited the village of Orongo, which is where the 'Birdman Cult' was established in the later years of the island's habitation (people first moved there about 1,200 years ago - how they found it I'll never know. Following migratory birds would be my best guess). At this point in time (1800's, I think) they had virtually given away with sculpting moai, probably because there weren't any means to transport them anymore and had created a new religious cult. Once a year, every chieftain (or his representative) would congregate at Orongo and they would conduct a competition where the competitor from each clan had to scramble down the cliff, swim to a nearby island and find the first egg of the season. Sometimes, this could take up to a month of being on the remote island until the egg was located. The chief then became the Birdman for the year and was essentially sacred and lived the year in revered isolation. What a reward! What struck me, however, was the stunning location where the village of Orongo was built. I'll do my best to describe it. Rano Kau is a volcano in the south-western corner of the island with a deep and enormous crater which is filled by a lake. On the ocean side of the crater a narrow strip of land separates the crater from the cliff which drops dramatically to the ocean. It is here that Orongo is situated. There are petroglyphs here depicting the annual Birdman festival and tiny dwellings which were only ever inhabited during the festival. It is a location which probably has to be seen to be believed. It is stunning. It was another instance where when I was about to leave, I turned on my heel and walked through the entire village again, soaking it up once and for all.

The remainder of this day was spent hiking through the northern reaches of the island where there aren't any roads or tracks. It was beautiful in its own remote and quiet way and I was rewarded with a view of the entire island. After nearly four hours of hiking I finished up at Anakena and went for a swim just before the sun disappeared for another day, beckoning night to descend on the island for my final look at the stars in the far reaches of the South Pacific. As I was staring back from the ocean at the moai and the palm trees in the fading light, I was feeling so intrinsically happy thanks to this remarkable island.

Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

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