My visit to Rapa Nui, Easter Island, was filled with so much history! No doubt, I will research more about this island, in the middle of the Pacific, when I return home.
Stones
Moai are carved stones to honor a leader or an important ancestor. The amazing info to me was where carvers started their work and transported the stone to the burial site, an ahu. We visited the quarry on the island. Some stones are still attached to the quarry wall. Others were beginning their transport … maybe with 5-6 men using ropes or a rocking motion to move the stone…. some fell over, broke and still remain in place. Many others were successful in the move; yet I’d really love to see how they moved such huge stones since we all can only speculate! Let me share some photos from the quarry site:
Volcanoes
The quarry was a huge site to walk around. So was our visit to another part of the island, the rim of the Rano Kau volcano. As we stood at the crater’s edge, we look down onto a freshwater lake with reeds. A part of the crater has collapsed and you can see the Pacific Ocean.
The island resulted from much volcanic action. There were 3 major volcanic sites and also smaller volcanoes adding to this island’s creation. The freshwater lake in Rano Kao is only 18 feet deep. In the 1980’s, a plant was found to be of great medicinal importance with transplant healing.
Birdman
At the crater’s edge, Orongo, is the starting location for the annual Birdman competition. You will see stone houses and carvings here. For a couple of hundred years, the tribes competed till the introduction of Catholicism in 1867.
All 12 tribes of the island may each send their tribal leader, a young man, who will compete, and their families Hereford the start of the competition. The young man will run down the crater’s side, swim in the ocean about a mile to collect a sooty tern’s egg, place it in their headband, swim and climb back. They had to time their effort with the nesting and egg-laying time so as to be successful and not have a broken egg! The winners are three: the tribe, the leader and the young man; however, the “Birdman” for a year is the leader. Please research more, if you are interested, as it is all quite fascinating!
We are off to Buenos Aires, so I will write in a week. Adios!
Thanks for the memories. It was the top of my bucket list and there is nowhere like it.
You are so right! “Nowhere like it”.
I loved Easter island & glad you could experience it. I, too, thought the quarry amazing. The birdman, the huts. I’m sure they explained “point of no return” regarding aircraft & I thought it was amazing they re-built the group of Moai along the ocean after the originals were lost in a tsunami. Easter island was a highlight for me
Amazing experience!