Easter Island
There have been many points on this trip where I have felt extremely lucky. Danna and I have visited some of the most amazing destinations around the world. But at no point did I feel more fortunate to be on this amazing trip than when I was staring into the face of a three story stone statue on the most isolated populated island in the world – Easter Island.
Before planning the trip, Easter Island was always “the place with the big heads.” But, after doing some research we were both very excited to go to such a remote destination. We left the gorgeous islands of French Polynesia but stayed in Pacific and took a five and a half hour flight to a tiny rock smack in the middle of the ocean. Easter Island is actually known to the local Polynesian people as Rapa Nui. The island is filled with mystery, legend and an amazing indigenous people.
We arrived at a tiny airport and were greeted with leis and kisses from the hotel assistant. Everyone, the workers, taxi drivers and the tourists all had massive smiles on their faces. You see, Danna and I entered into a very small fraternity on this stop. According to the calculations of the tourism industry, about 1 million people have visited Easter Island....ever. That includes the first seven men who found this speck of dry land, the Dutch explorers who “found” the place again in 1722 and every other human being who ever walked on these extinct volcanoes.(For a little perspective, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota gets 2 million visitors annually!) Entry to this very exclusive club is simple – make the effort to get here. Once you do that – you're in!
The island itself it shaped like a triangle with three unique sections in each tip. There is one city – Hanga Roa – the rest is just primed for exploration. Our first two nights we stayed in a one room house that was owned by one of the islands most revered musicians. The house was down a dirt road that came with its own guard dog (mostly it just slept in front of our door) resident chickens and chicks and a horse that would wander around the connecting yards between the houses around ours. From the window we could see a glimpse of the ocean not too far away. The house was in a great location, not to far from the city center but also a close walk from a major Ahu, the platform that the Moai (local name for the big head statues) with statues right by the craggy coast and crashing waves. Danna and I went there our first evening on the island and then it hit us that we were really here.
We wanted to get the most out of our 5 day stay on the island, so the next day we took a guided tour of the South end of the island. The major site is Rano Raraku which is locally known as “the nursery” but really I like to think of it as “the factory.” We ended up being the only ones on the tour so it became a private tour for the whole day. Another major positive surprise was the amazing lack of tourists that happen to be there at the same time as us. We saw a dozen other people all day – maybe. We drove around the coastal roads of the island. The island really is an amazingly beautiful and slightly scary and almost hypnotic place. The land seems to just drop straight into the ocean which is constantly being bombarded with monster surf crashing into black lava rocks. Then, when you can distract yourself from the amazing natural scene you realize you are standing next to one of the most bewildering archeological sites left on earth.
The one major thing that you cannot appreciate from the pictures of Easter Island and the Moai (again that is the name of the big head statues) is the sheer scale of these things. They are huge solid pieces of rock. Not a whole lot is known for certain about what these great statues meant to the men who created them. But, the major theory described by our guide, revolves around some well known ancient Polynesian beliefs. The Moai seem to be the physical manifestation of the “elders” or “revered ones” from each family or clan. Why make big statues of them? Well, the ancient Polynesians believed that they could channel all the successes of these great men into their own success. The power came through eyes of these statues. The original Moai all had white eyes with shiny black pupils made from local stones. The theory then goes on to explain that the islanders basically all jumped on the bandwagon of this idea and there was a sort of arms race to see who could build the most/biggest Moai the fastest to channel all the positive energy of the ancestors. This major undertaking basically used up all the natural resources on the island to help win the race. The trees were cut down to make room for transporting the Moai across the island – which were rolled on more trees! So to this day, much of the island remains barren from trees because of the damage done all those years ago (an interesting lesson for the rest of Earth on how it treats its natural resources). Well, once the trees were gone, shelter became an issue so the people moved into caves. The birds left and soon all the natural resources on the island started to vanish. Naturally, the people decided that this string of terrible luck must be coming from... the Moai! So, what did they do? They pushed over all the completed Ahu's (platforms) and standing Moai on the island. Since they believed that the power came from the eyes, all the Moai on the island were found toppled over - face down. That takes us back to the present – where Danna and I are standing right next to a destroyed Ahu of face down Moai. Living history, that is what going to Easter Island is all about.
We continued over dirt roads past groups of wild horses that roam the island. We then came to “the factory” - Rano Raraku. We started to hike up the extinct volcano that was once the source of all the Moai on the island. Before getting the top of the amazingly green mountain we pass by a beautiful crater lake covered in ten foot reeds and a brilliant blue color. The entire body of water before us is rain water and is filled every year in the rainy season. As we continue climbing we are greeted by a hillside littered with Moai. We wander around the maze of statues that have been half buried over the years and tossed in every direction by the passage of time. There are two very strict rules in this national park – 1. Do not touch the Moai! 2. Stay on the path! Well, since there was no one around at all, our guide let us bend rule number 2 and showed us an “old” path that weaved its way between Moai up the side of the hill to get a breathtaking view of the ocean and the awe inspiring Ahu Tongariki which has 15 Moai standing right along the coast. We could not linger at the viewpoint long for fear of getting caught, but it really was a special moment where we could take in the tremendous beauty and uniqueness of the place we were in. We continued around “the factory” seeing some of the interesting unfinished Moai that were left half carved for eternity. We saw the largest Moai ever started, still attached to the mountainside – it would have been over 60 feet tall if it was erected. We saw the actual tools (just flat sharp edged rocks) used by the artisans who made these imposing statues. We also saw the only round headed and different looking Moai ever created- no one really knows the story behind it.
We continued the day by heading down to see the massive 15 Moai Ahu Tongariki up close. We took some fun pictures doing our best Moai impersonation and then noticed a local man living in a cave next to the Ahu. Our guide said “he really is a nice and normal guy, he just likes living like his ancestors.” Okay, but when our guide said to us about twenty minutes later “so you know the local guy who lives in a the cave – he needs a ride to the beach... you don't mind if we give him one?” Danna's first reaction was “is it safe?” My first reaction was “I don't think his ancestors ever got a ride to the beach.” So the local caveman (literally) came to the car but told our guide he got a different ride but thanks. And then, as he walked away we realized he was not wearing any pants! Just white paint all over his lower half and the very strategically placed loin cloth that his ancestors would be proud of. Then Danna's reaction changed to “Lucky he didn't come, that paint would have gotten all over the seats” my reaction was “you were going to let that guy bare-ass your seat! I know someone who got banned for life for doing that in a friend's car.” But, while we may think these are all reasonable thoughts or concerns, they do not exist on Easter Island. We noticed this even more when we got back to the car and saw the driver side door wide open! “Whoops” our guide said “guess I forgot to shut it.”
From here we went to visit the mystical “navel of the world” stone. This magnetic stone confuses the hell out a compass and the visitors who come to see it. If you put a compass on the stone the needle spins – if you ask a guide why is this stone so special (since all the smaller stones also have the same magnetic properties) their eye's start to roll. Somethings are cool and some are just a little far fetched. We did not spend much time here.
We ended the day with a visit to one of the two beaches on the Island. We were shocked – Easter Island gets no credit as a paradise vacation, but this beach could rival any of the ones we have been to. Encircled with perfect palm trees, beautiful clear blue water and great surf this beach was certainly picture perfect. But, how could it get better? Oh yeah, there is a massive Ahu with Moai right on the sand only a few hundred yards from the ocean. Now that beats any beach we have been too so far. A pretty spectacular first day in the middle of nowhere.
The next day we planned for a day to head up to the highest point on the island – Tetivaka. We decided that this ascent would be made much easier on horseback so we saddled up and got ready for the ride. I love horseback riding and we had amazing weather and scenery to go along with it. We head through lava rock fields, farms and scaled along narrow edge cliffs. We had a nice group of people with us, but really the horses are in control. Needless to say, Danna and I are not professional riders and the horses could tell – immediately. At different points in the ride, Danna's horse stopped completely, went full gallop almost throwing Danna of the side, and tried to bite other riders legs when they got too close. My horse needed to be in front and would bully his way to the front of the pack by body checking any other horse in its way. But, when I tried to get him to go faster or slower he completely ignored me. He would push to the front, then slow down and get passed and then push his way up again – that repeated for 5 hours. We climbed and climbed until we did reach the top of this extinct volcano and were treated to howling winds and a 360 degree view that took your breath away. We rode back to the ranch taking in the scenery, watching the indigenous hawks gliding through the sky. Passing by groups of other horses and a new born colt only a few days old. At one point Danna's and my horse made their way to the front of the pack together and we rode knee to knee through Easter Island – another special day in a special place.
The final scenic must do on the island is the trek up to Rano Kau the final extinct and collapsed volcano on the island. Danna and I moved for the weekend from the residential neighborhood to the coast to stay at a B&B for the final three days on the island. We got directions and head out from our hotel on what was supposed to be a fairly easy two hour walk to the top of the crater. Three hours and a lot of huffing and puffing later we struggled up dirt paths that opened up the crater that seemed to drop directly into the ocean behind it. The crater was filled with water and reeds and made for a beautiful viewpoint. But the knowledge that we had to hike all the way back to the hotel made it a bit hard to fully appreciate the moment – but the pictures look good!
The final piece of the Easter Island puzzle are the people you meet on the island. You see this is always the wild card of traveling. With a combination of guide books, Wikipedia and the Travel Channel you really don't have to go anywhere anymore. But, there is always one thing that no virtual vacation can give you – human interaction. In the end, that is what determines if a trip is terrible, good, great or spectacular. The people we met on Easter Island is the reason why this trip is truly unforgettable. It is not just the people who were born on Rapa Nui who are unique and special, but the expats and the travelers themselves. We were extremely fortunate to be staying in the B&B with a couple from London who were also traveling around the world for the year (with only carry-ons!!! What an inspiration). Helen & Rob became our instant best friends and we could sit and talk and laugh with them for hours. Together, we shared one of the most profound evenings of our entire journey. You see, there was a local boy who needed surgery to remove a tumor from his leg. The family did not have enough money to send him to the mainland for the operation. So, as is customary on the island, there was a benefit held in his honor. For a small fee, we got dinner, live music (all of the Island's top musical talents come to play to help raise money – including our host for our first 2 nights) there was traditional dancing, a fashion show and an auction of handicrafts. It seemed like the whole island came to pitch in. We sat there and watched these people celebrate life in order to help preserve the life of one of their own. We were touched an amazed – even though we did not understand a word they were saying - when the family members themselves took the mic to play Polynesian music and lead the festivities. It was emotional and a ton of fun at the same time. You can watch all the Travel Channel you want (trust me I do) but it is when you make new friends and see how amazing human beings can be that reminds you why we travel in the first place.
Simply put, Easter Island is a magical place. The history, the mystery but most importantly the amazing energy that runs through the island and right through the people walking on the island make this destination one of the true amazing places left on the planet.
