TRAVEL: Easter Island - monuments, mystery and magnificient Maoi

There is only one flight per week from Tahiti to Easter Island, and it leaves at 3:20am on a Tuesday morning. Great. 5 hours later and you'll arrive in the world's most remote airport, and one that was extended in the 1980s as an emergency landing point for the Space Shuttle, or so I've heard. First impressions of Easter Island is that it's a lot like Ireland - rolling hills, lots of greenery, and wet and windy. I feel right at home. And let me not kid you, it's very windy - like trees blowing this and that way, large waves rolling into shore, dirt flying into your eyes kind of windy.

We were met at the airport by our guide for the week, Sabrina, and her 4x4. After a quick tour around the main town (of which there is only one) we were taken to our hotel, the Hare Noi, one of the more out of town hotels and yet it's only 3 minutes from the airport. The hotel fits in nicely with the landscape, with shared villas set into the side of the hills, but it's a small hotel with probably only around 10 rooms. 

After settling in, we headed out into the windswept landscape. One surprising element of Easter Island is the proliferation of dogs, who you see more often than people. Almost immediately after leaving the hotel, I made eye contact with a dog across the road who then decided she was mine, and would accompany me on the walk. And she did - all the way into town which was about an hour's walk on the route we took. As much as I loved the company, I worried she wouldn't be able to find her way home, but dog's here are pretty streetwise. Plus, the island isn't too populous with only around 7,500 residents so not too many ways to get lost. 

The walk first veered around to the town's Catholic church, with most residents being Catholic. The church had been said to have a look due to the interesting wooden carvings inside, of which there were about 8 depicting, in sometimes quite abstract ways, various elements of the Catholic faith such as Jesus and the Holy Spirit. My dog politely waited outside until we were done. 

It wasn't far to walk until we reached the coast - the airport stretches from one coast to the other - where the wind certainly showed its force, nearly knocking me off my feet a few times. We stopped for coffee at Mikafe, the homemade ice cream of which I can heartily recommend, even if the weather isn't always up for it. The cakes are lovely too, so put this on your 'must go' list if you visit. 

The day after you arrive is often planned for full day excursions, so at 9:30 we got in the jeep and began our drive. The further away from the town we went, the more desolate the landscape became, eventually becoming just plains of yellowing grass and rocks. Sabrina had planned the day to be in somewhat chronological order so our first stop was Akahanga where some of the oldest of the famous Easter Island statues can be found. After centuries of weathering and erosion, these statues are now little more than large rocks along the coastline. Still, their size and colour made it clear they weren't there naturally, in particular the red rock used for what we had assumed were 'hats' but are in fact used to represent hairstyles, or top knots. 

Our next location was Tongariki, a particularly impressive site as it has 15 statues laid out on one platform. Whilst they varied in shape, size, and condition, it was easy to see the details on most of them, including shaping of the eye sockets, noses, ears and chins. Whilst many visitors may think the statues represent Gods, they in fact represented important people in the community and used as a means of memorialising them when they died. 

Before lunch, we headed to Rano a Raraku, the quarry from which 95% of Easter Island's statues were carved. At the entrance was a diagram showing how the statue had evolved over time, from short and round with squat noses and slanted eyes, to tall and thin with long noses and deep eye sockets. This is one of the ways in which statues on the island, of which over 900 have been found, can be dated. 

The quarry is a mysterious graveyard for over 200 of these statues, abandoned for reasons unknown to us due to a loss in oral history when many of the island's residents were taken as slaves in previous centuries. However, excavations have revealed a few secrets about the statues. For instance, statues were carved in the rock face itself as opposed to from stone blocks taken out and then carved. Workers would carve one side of the statue, lying down, create a sort of tunnel around to the back where they could do the same to the other side, remove the remaining rock binding the statue to the mother rock, and slide it carefully down the mountain, face up, with a rope around its neck. 

The statues would then land in trenches at the bottom of the quarry where further detail could be added to the facial features, neck and chin. Centuries have meant that these trenches, where many of the statues remain, have filled in, so we can only see the shoulders and heads of the statues when in fact statues go down to the navel and include hands too. The statues at the quarry are in varying states of completion, some down in the trenches ready for transportation, some missing the facial features added at the end, and some still half in the rock, left just as they were carved. It's also home to the largest statue found, at 22m, which made it out of the rock face but not out of the quarry. 

The quarry also raises a number of questions about the transportation of the statues, as they span much of the island, and even beyond, with the furthest statue found 1.4km off the coast of the island, meaning it would have to have been transported first miles to the coast and then somehow, off the island. Many theories have been suggested, including using log rollers to move them, sliding on sleds, aliens, and the most influential being that the statues 'walked' with ropes pulled from one side and then the other meaning that they would shuffle forward somewhat like a penguin. 

A further interesting discovery at the quarry is that of the only known kneeling statue, strange because none of the others show legs. Apparently the European who discovered this statue shortly went mad afterwards, having nightmares about the statue berating him for exposing the statue's body to the wind. It's definitely a powerful statue, I'll tell you that. But who knows if there are others like it - barely any of Easter Island has been excavated, so hundreds more statues may lie beneath the surface. 

We headed onwards to Te Pito Kura, where the statue that Captain James Cook first saw when he reached Easter Island lies. In his time, it was standing as, we imagine, most of the other statues on the island were. However, it is common belief that in a period of turmoil between the Rapa Nui (the people of Easter Island, and also the name of the island in Rapa Nui language) the statues were pulled down, so all those now standing up have been restored since the 1960s. Te Pito Kura also has a large magnetic stone next to the platform, important as it is said to contain 'mana', or supernatural powers. 

Our final stop of the busy day was Anakena beach where according to oral history, is the place where the founding king of the Rapa Nui people, Hotu Matu'a, first set foot on the island. Here are 7 statues facing inland, and a white sand beach, uncommon due to the island's volcanic nature. We were given some free time here to swim - I say swim but the waves were so large it was more wave jumping than anything! An enjoyable end to an enjoyable day. 

Heading back into town, we stopped for coffee at Mikafe again (my recommendation for Easter Island coffee shop) and took a walk along the coastal road. Somewhere along the way we picked up a dog I named Marble due to the colour of its coat, who accompanied us on our walk. If you visit Easter Island, don't be alarmed if this happens to you - the dogs here are so, so lovely and just want some company! 

As the sun began to set, we raced to Haka Honu restaurant and grabbed a table with a sea view to watch the sun go down. The colours were incredible and there was nothing blocking your view of the endless sky ahead of us. Plus, the food was great - add this to your 'must do' list. 

The following day we headed in the opposite direction, first to the islands anthropological museum which provided further information about the Rapa Nui, their culture, and the statues, as well as housing one of the few female statues found. Next door was Tahai, home of three sets of statues. The first is a solo statue but interesting as it is the only statue with eyes. It is envisioned that many of the statues did have eyes which were rested in the eye sockets, but the restoration of those standing up was done slightly incorrectly with the statues standing perfectly straight, meaning that any eyes added would fall out. In the case of this statue, cement was used to secure the eyes. Whilst not authentic, the guides are happy with this addition as it is the only example that shows visitors what such statues would have looked like.

In the middle is another solo statue, and to its left, a platform holding 5 statues in various degrees of decay - a few missing half their faces and one almost completely gone. In fact, this platform has space for 6 statues, the last of which lies further up the hill broken in 4 pieces and making it very difficult to be restored. 

We then drove to Rano Kau, one of Easter Island's volcanoes. The island itself is formed of three volcanoes in a triangular shape which joined together to create the island. Rano Kau is the largest, and in its crater holds a body of water which has since turned into a wetland. One of the strangest craters I've ever seen given the luscious greenery that lies below. 

On the side of the volcano closest to the sea, we came to Orango village, important as it was used for only a few weeks a year by the Rapa Nui people to hold the Birdman festival. In this festival, a young man from each tribe, called a Hopa, was selected to represent his tribe in a series of competitions. The most important of these was for the man to climb down the side of the cliff and swim across the water to the furthest of three islands off the shore. Then, he and the other competitors would wait until the first egg of a specific bird was laid, and the first man to carry the egg back to the island - swimming with it attached to a band around his head - won. However, it was not him who got the glory, but the chief of his tribe, who then became the eponymous Birdman. This tradition lasted between after the statues were toppled to the arrival of Catholic missionaries who insisted the festival cease as it related to other gods.

After a walk along the coast and watching the sunset, we headed for dinner at a place Sabrina had recommended called Kanahau - another very nice restaurant I would add to your list. At 8:30, we headed next door to Ma'ara Nui, another restaurant, but not for more food. No, something more exciting - the Kari Kari show, basically a performance of Easter Island dance. It was brilliant - we all loved it. Still being part of Polynesia (the boundaries of which are New Zealand, Hawai'i and Easter Island) the dancing shared some similarities to Tahitian dances we'd seen, but differences too. I  enjoyed the beautiful costumes the dancers wore, and particularly their energy, moving faster than my camera could keep up with and singing loudly the whole time. A real highlight of our time here. 

It was then time for our final full day on the island, which we started by heading to Ahu a Kivi where 7 statues face out to the sea. This site is interesting exactly because of that, being the only location where statues face outwards. Legend has it that they represent the young explorers sent to explore the island before the arrival of the colonisers led by Hotu Matu'a, or that their gazes align with 7 islands out to sea which may offer clues to where the Rapu Nui people come from. Interestingly, they are astronomically oriented, and much like Stonehenge look straight to the sunset during equinoxes. 

We then headed to another quarry, this time Puna Pau, or the red stone quarry where the top knots were made. Again, much speculation lies around how these stones, which often weighed 8 tonnes, were added to the tops of statues. Whilst not much remains at this site, the top offers a view of the town and we were incredibly lucky to see a whale just off the coast - not a common occurrence in Easter Island. 

Our final stop was Vinapu which houses two interesting platforms. The first of which is unlike all others in its stonework with large blocks pushed together so tightly even a piece of paper would not fit between them. The second has one of the strangest statues - not only made of different stone, the red scoria of the top knots, but it is also female. Moreover, it had two heads, and was used as a funerary pillar where a frame was installed for drying dead bodies. 

We finished the day with some souvenir shopping at the artisan markets (can you really leave Easter Island without some statues of your own?), another coffee at Mikafe (accompanied by two turtles swimming in the harbour), and a final walk back to the hotel. Easter Island is full of mysteries, and that's what I love - it's the not knowing the truth about the statues that makes them more interesting in my eyes and for that reason I think they will always hold power and keep bringing people to this interesting island. 

My advice for Easter Island: you need to take your time here. We were here for 3 full days and even that isn't really enough. If you want to do it properly, take 5 days. I've done my best to recommend places to go and things to do and I thoroughly encourage you to check them out. The town itself is very small so anywhere you go is within walking distance. Make sure you see a show - that was a real highlight for me. And don't worry, it's not just a tourist experience as Sabrina told us the performances put on for us are exactly the same as they are for the natives. Personally, I wouldn't read too much information about Easter Island before you visit if you can avoid it. It's best to discover yourself, listen to the theories of the locals and the oral traditions passed down through their families, and enjoy the mystery of Rapa Nui!

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you did, be sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry as there'll be plenty more where this came from! I'd love to hear your thoughts too, so feel free to leave a comment below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!