Our first full day on Easter Island, we drove the suggested Western Circuit, stopping first in Vinahu, an archaeological complex that comprised two large monumental ahu or platforms. As in other ceremonial centers, all the moai were knocked down in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Wandering around Vinahu was delightfully peaceful as it had just opened for the day so there were few other tourists about. The only sounds were waves breaking on the rocks and a few birds chirping.
Moai parts were scattered around the site, including this pukao or topknot that used to adorn the top of a moai.
It was very unusual seeing this moai face with its head up as
most were knocked face down.
The appeal of the crumbled ahu wasn't apparent until we came across the wall of perfectly carved and fitted stone blocks that were strikingly similar to some of the walls at the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru and those we'd also seen near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia.
The stonework supported Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl's argument that the Eastern Islanders originally came from South America. It has been established, however, that the first settlers were Polynesian, though evidence points to contact with South America early on.
Driving next along the southern coast road made us wonder if views like this would be like those in Ireland, a country on our 'bucket list.'
The next spot was the ceremonial center of Ahu Vaihu which provided us with a good idea of the Huru Moai Period when eight statues were knocked down from the ahu. Some rolled as far as the seashore.
Villages, and therefore platforms, were always located close to bays to provide inhabitants with easy access to the sea as the main source of food for the islanders was the ocean.
I read the moai lay prone in the exact position that they were thrown over. The cylindrical shape of the reddish topknots caused them to roll some distance and two even had to be fished out of the bay!
In front of the ahu was a circle of stones called a paina which had special ceremonial significance in ancient times and was where certain commemorative rituals were carried out.
We were greeted by a few cows but no other animals or people as we continued our road trip to Ahu Akahanga.
The platform was used as a ceremonial center with several stages of ahu built on top of each other during different stages of construction. That reflected the mixture of clans and families that occurred in old society. According to tradition, the remains of Hotu Matu'a, the founding ancestor of the Rapa Nui people, were placed here.
It was amazing to discover that none of the stones had been moved for 300 years and the same sight would have greeted James Cook and other European explorers when they came to Easter Island. These were the foundations of hare paenga or boat-shaped houses.
The remains of an umu or oven:
Less important people lived in the caves whose entrances were man made. They also provided protection from the elements and unwanted visitors.
The largest moai - 33' long - ever transported to a platform lay by itself at the site. It still had wonderful facial details because the direction in which it lay protected them from the environment. Researchers theorize finishing touches were never added to its eye sockets because it fell while being erected.
This was a sign we wouldn't see anywhere else in the world!
Pukao or topknots were strewn all over the site at nearby Ahu Hanga Tetenga, which we almost didn't spot until we saw a large tour bus stop on the narrow road. It was so frustrating that there were no signs from the road directing drivers to what lay ahead.
The site's two moai were almost completely shattered.
Across the street were the foundations of several boat-shaped and some round houses.
A dirt road led us toward the huge volcanic crater of Rano Raraku, also called Road of the Moai. The stone here was called lapilli tuff which was essentially hardened volcanic ash which was a much softer and lighter stone than the basalt, found all over the island and was used as carving tools. Located on the southeast part of the island and close to the coast, it is known as the quarry because the moai were carved here and then taken to ahus distributed throughout the island. Our first impression was one of absolute awe and wonder combined with a sense of appreciation that we were able to see these magnificent accomplishments from around 700-1000 AD.
After having our tickets validated, we looked at the samples of rocks used in the moai construction. The obsidian was used for the pupils, coral for the whites of the eyes and the red scoria stone fro the pukao or topknots.
The moai, after being carved from bedrock higher up the mountain, were then lowered down on earth ramps into pre-planned pits so the statues could be stood up and to give carvers access to the previously inaccessible back. A large moai would have taken up to two years to be carved by a team of workers under the guidance of a master carver!
People often assumed that the moai that were standing would have been restored or stood back up. However, they were standing as they would have been when work at the quarry stopped.
When work at the quarry ceased, the passing of time caused all the earth that had been moved up the slopes in order to create the ramps to come back down the slope and slowly bury all the unfinished moai below.
That was why the 'heads' we saw were in fact full moai that went all the way down to their waists. As a rough estimate, a moai's head was about a quarter the size of the whole statue. Some, therefore, would have measured over 42' tall!
Unlike other moai sites we'd already visited, at Rano Raraku visitors had to stay on the paths and not walk on the grass or cross stone barriers. As the Rapa Nui believe that spirits of ancestors are still in the ground, this and other moai sites compelled respect from visitors.
This was the only moai we saw that had a carving on its stomach of a ship with three masts, square sails, and even people standing on deck! With a little imagination, the boat has been explained as either an European ship or a large totora reed vessel.
As we continued up the steps, we saw two statues lying side by side, both in the process of being carved, and protected by the overhanging cliff. That explained why the original color of the Rano Raraku rock was much yellower than the now exposed darkened moai we'd seen at other sites on the island.
The proportions of the largest moai ever created were really hard to grasp even when we were standing beneath it. It was 69' long and the moai, if finished, would have weighed more than 250 tons! We could just see the narrow trenches on either side of the moai where the carvers had worked. I read that the obsession to carve ever larger moai led to the depletion of the island's resources such as rope and timber.
From that highest spot on the mountain, we had a gorgeous panoramic view of Tongariki, one of the island's most spectacular spots which we visited next and will be included in the next post.
At the farthest point of the quarry was the most surprising of all the moai, known by the name of Tukuturi or 'kneeling moai.' It was unearthed by Heyerdahl and his team in 1955 as he was intrigued by its round head and unusual facial features, as opposed to the very square style of the other moai. When it was unearthed, it was discovered it was the first statue to have legs, in this case neatly tucked underneath its body.
Heyerdahl commented that, "Rano Raraku remains one of the greatest and most curious creations of mankind, a monument to the great lost unknown behind us..." Some archaeologists speculate that this moai was the representation of a famous master sculptor, set on the edge of the quarry to supervise the work of his successors.
When we looked from the side, it almost appeared as if he had a small beard!
This pair of moai differed from others as they had unusually long ears. They were actually called 'Long Ears'!
After we toured the quarry, we hiked up to the volcanic crater which, like the one at Orongo at the other end of the island we'd hiked around yesterday, is now a wetland. It was definitely a cardio workout as the trails took us up the mountain side and then back down in a loop!
The 33' deep crater of the magnificent volcano used to be the only source of freshwater for the eastern part of the island. During the Tapati Festival, a two-week cultural celebration held since 1989 at the start of February, it is also the venue for the Easter Island Triathlon. The triathlon’s three legs don’t follow the swim-bike-run formats most triathletes are used to. Instead, only locals can participate by doing a 400-meter reed boat paddle, a 1500-meter barefoot run (including 1,000 meters where competitors carry 44 pounds of bananas), and 400 meters of reed float swimming. Aren't you glad you're not eligible to participate!
Our visit to Rano Raraku absolutely enthralled us for over two hours as we were able to view many of the site's 397 moai in different perspectives, shapes and angles, and on a mountain pass no less! As the $80 national park pass only permitted one entrance to Rano Raraku unlike almost all other island sites, we were relieved we hadn't been in any rush and could marvel at what became a spiritual experience.
Next post: The monumental and mysterious Tongariki, the image of Easter Island for most people.
Posted at long last on April 20th, 2018, a sad day for Littleton, Colorado.
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