Wednesday - February 13, 2008

Easter Island

You have probably heard about Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as the natives call it, with its massive stone figures springing out of the ground, but probably were never quite sure if it was a real place or just a legend, like Avalon or Atlantis. It is, indeed, a real place and I was thrilled that we were going to see it. The island is separated from South America by 2,500 miles of unbroken Pacific Ocean, which took us three days to cross going almost top speed at 28 knots. 

I was so anxious to get ashore that as soon as our group was called to the tenders, I raced off to the gangway, leaped onto the the tender boat, and only noticed as the boat left the ship that I had left something behind - my husband, and Audrey and Jim, a British couple we have made friends with on board ship! So I cooled my jets as I waited on the dock for the next tender to come in. 

It is thought that the first people had reached Easter Island by 300AD, probably from somewhere in the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific. The island is just 45 square miles and there are 3,000 residents. Horseback is still the preferred mode of transportation between the three central villages because not everyone has a car. 

I'm not sure what I was expecting, maybe a more tropical setting, but I was surprised how much the island reminded me of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands, without all the development and tourist trade. There are three ancient volcanoes, one at each corner of the triangular island, all extinct. In between are rolling hills and grasslands with cattle, some crops, and horses roaming free, some branded some not. We also saw a lot of hawks as we toured the island. I found the island to be quite pretty and very unspoiled. But their tourism business is growing, so who knows how long that will last. 

Aside from the lovely landscape, the real draw on Easter Island are the enormous, eerie stone statues made of solid volcanic basalt, called moai, that have gazed out to sea for centuries. Many are more than 18 feet tall and weigh several tons. Archeologists believe these statues are monuments to deceased ancestors, and the families must have believed that the spirits of their forefathers lived in them. It is true that they are not all alike - some are short, some tall, some are fat, some thin, and their facial features vary somewhat. The significance of the the face and deep set eyes will probably never be known. A couple of figures still wear the red topknot that probably all the figures wore at one time.

The moai were arranged on abus, religious platforms that were designed for the purpose. Bones of the dead were often buried in subterranean vaults beneath the abus. It is thought that by the time the society collapsed, there were more than 1,000 moai, of which some 600 have been resurrected. Many are still buried. These statues are still very much a mystery because archeologists are still not 100% sure how it was possible to carve hundreds of these figures and how people with no modern equipment transferred them several miles from the quarry to the coast and stand them upright. 

We were able to visit 3 of at least a dozen sites - one on the shore near the port of Hanga Roa called Tahai, one on the northwest coast called Tongariki, and most fabulous of all was the quarry at Rona Raraku crater. The crater was magical! Here we could see statues that had fallen over, others that were never completed, some with just their heads rising out of the ground, etc. It was an incredible sight. I hope my pictures give you an idea of just how thrilling it was to see these remarkable statues that I had seen pictures of over the years, but never thought I would see with my own eyes. 

We finished our tour around 1pm and decided that we would find a restaurant to have some lunch at before we started the coastal walk into town from the port. We picked a family run place that looked out over the water, and enjoyed some really fresh grilled fish. We then walked about a mile along the coast, admiring the views and the natural beauty of the place. When we reached the edge of town, we collapsed into chairs in a bar overlooking the bay and had a nice cool drink while we watched surfers and rowing teams crossing the bay. 

And then it was time to walk back to port to get our tender back to the ship. The road was red clay and each time a car passed us, the red dust would fly. It was also hot and a bit humid, so we were perspiring. As you can imagine, this was not a good combination. By the time we got back to the ship, we were covered in dust. My face, arms, feet and hair were filthy! 

I had a long shower before dinner, which, by the way, was a delicious dish called Tequila Shrimp that the Maitre d' cooked at our table. After dinner and a nice bottle of wine, Mike and I decided that all was well with the world. We went out on deck to the bow of the ship, and watched the new moon glowing on the water and admired the stars above us, trying to pick out the different constellations. It was a beautiful warm night and the sky was filled with stars. As we cut silently across the water, I thought what a terrific day it had been and how lucky I was to have seen Easter Island.