Easter Island (Rapa Nui) ~ Original

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Easter Island

Arrival and reception at Mataveri Airport on Easter Island. Transfer to hotel.Easter Island is a destination that seems to inhabit our subconscious. The image of great stone moai with their backs to the vast Pacific strikes some chord within us, recalls some ancient, creative urge. This is the world's most isolated bit of land, a tiny pinprick in the great pacific, a mound of consolidated lava and ash from three submarine volcanoes. The natives call their island Rapa Nui or Te Pito o Te Henua, 'the navel of the earth. Linguistic and cultural comparisons indicate that the first humans on Easter Island arrived from the west, most likely from the Marquesas Islands or Mangareva, as part of a greater migratory process that spread Polynesian culture throughout the south Pacific. However, the twelve centuries which elapsed between the arrival of the first intrepid 'settlers' near 500 AD and the 'discovery' of the island in 1722 by the Dutch admiral Jacob Roggeveen are among the world's great mysteries. European sailors visiting the island found that the natives could not explain the construction and transport of the great moai megaliths, the largest of which exceeds sixty feet in height. Nor could they decipher the rongo rongo tablets whose hieroglyphic script appears to be a forgotten form of written language. Somewhere in the past - a past which seems to have seesawed from ancestor worship, monument building and population growth, to deforestation and food shortages, feuding and in some cases even cannibalism - the old knowledge had been lost. It is the mystery of these disappeared artisans, and the awesome presence of their works, which continues to draw scientists and seekers from across the globe. Today, Rapa Nui National Park protects most of the island's archaeological sites, and the native todomiro forests that once graced the island are being replanted. Opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding abound on the island, while a rich marine ecosystem of corals and colourful tropical fish makes Easter Island a prime destination for scuba diving and snorkelling.Rapa Nui, located at the easternmost vertex of the Polynesian triangle in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, lies 3700 km from the Chilean coast and 4000 km from French Polynesia. The island has an area of 16600 hectares and enjoys a subtropical climate with minimum temperatures of 16 °C and a maximum of 28 °C. The island was created as a result of underwater volcanic eruptions some 3 million years ago. One thousand years ago Ariki (King) HOTU MATUA crossed the ocean from Hiva (probably the Marquesas Islands) and settled in a new land he called "The navel of the world." Sitting in the middle of the Pacific Ocean some 3700 kms away from continental Chile, Easter Island (or Rapa Nui) is the world’s most insular island. It is just 166km2 in size and is highest point stands a mere 509m above sea level. Easter Island, home of the most advanced culture in all of Polynesia, is rightly considered to be the world’s largest open-air archaeological museum. Rapa Nui welcome you with year-round subtropical temperatures ranging from 18º to 27º C, warm waters, and sandy, unspoiled beaches termed "paradisiacal" by visitors.Easter Island was discovered by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen on Easter Day (hence the name) 1722, and was annexed by Chile in 1888. Rapa Nui started to welcome tourists in the late 1960s, and it soon became one of the world’s leading cultural travel destinations, with an average of some 20 000 visitors per year. Tapa ti Rapa Nui, a festive occasion where ancient rituals events (sports, fishing, arts, dancing, traditional dress) are re-enacted, is held in late January and early February.

Day 2 Hanga Roa (B, L)

Enjoy a full day tour along the Moai route.Start with a visit Vaihu, a place that is surrounded by enormous statues that have fallen face down. Stop at the ruins of Akahanga, still in their original condition and where the first king of the island was buried. Further along see the Rano Raraku volcano, situated close to the southern shore of the island. At the base of Poike, the most spectacular crater in the zone, the former island-people carved giant statues from the volcano’s quarry—they are 20m long and just under 200 tons. Carry on towards the beautiful beach of Anakena, where we see Ahu Tongariki, the largest of the 15 Moais on the island; they weigh an average of 50 tons and were destroyed by a tidal wave in 1960. Enjoy a box lunch and free time to enjoy the warm sea waters which surrounded the island. In the afternoon return to O'Tai Hotel.AHU AKAHANGA: This platform is also known as the altar of the highest chief. According to local legend, the tomb of the legendary founder of the island, Hotu Matu’a, is located nearby. The altar illustrates the numerous phases of the construction, and consists of four platforms on top of each other, twelve statues and the remains of eight pukao (red scortia topknots). There is also a second altar where the workers were interrupted while raising a moai onto the platform. There is also a canoe ramp nearby and directly in front of the altar it is possible to appreciate one of the best-preserved village settlements, containing boat-shaped houses and cooking ovens (umu pae), as well as a cave, which would have been used as a shelter. RANO RARAKU VOLCANO AND QUARRY: The majority of the moai here were carved from the volcanic rock found on the inner and outer slopes of this volcano. There are some 400 moai in all stages of carving, giving the visitor a chance to appreciate the various forms, including the kneeling statue known as Tukuturi. Another moai is noteworthy for having a 3-masted ship carved on its abdomen. Towards the west it is possible to observe moai that have been abandoned en route to their platforms. The road which they lie on is known as Ara o te Moai (the road of the moai). ANAKENA - The is the beautiful white sand beach where, according to local legend, King Hotu Matu’a first set foot on the island, and where soon after his wife gave birth to the first Rapanui. The name Anakena really refers to a nearby cave that overlooks the beach where small birds called kena used to nest. Less than 1 km away towards the side of the hill there is another beach, smaller and with pink sand, called Ovahe. AHU TONGARIKI: With its 15 statues, this is the largest ahu on the island. The entire site was destroyed and scattered over a large area after a tidal wave in 1960, and future archaeological work was made possible thanks to the donation of a crane by a Japanese company; reconstruction began in 1993 and must be seen to be believed. Beyond the plaza is an important petroglyph site called Papa Tataku Poki, with representations of tunas, turtles, etc.

Day 3 Hanga Roa (B)

Today join a half-day tour to Orongo, visiting the Rano Kao volcano, with its lake-filled crater, and see its ceremonial centre perched on the crater lip. Each year it is here, at over 300m above sea level, where the Bird Man or Tangata Manu ceremony takes place. There are more than 100 petroglyphs representing the Make-Make God and the Manutara seabird, amongst others. Stop at the Ana Kai Tangata, a cavern used as a place of refuge during times of war, and filled with prehistoric painting. Visit Ahu Vinapu for a look into the architectural skill of the islanders, with stones that have been cut and placed as perfectly as any modern construction. Return to O'Tai Hotel.An optional afternoon tour visits Aku Akivi, the Ana Tepahu caverns and the quarry of Puna Pau.ORONGO: Orongo is a ceremonial centre, dating from 1410 to 1876, which was used over the last few centuries to perform the Birdman competition. On the rim of the giant crater there are 53 oval-shaped houses, built with stone slabs and all with a small entrance facing the sea. They are laid out in two rows, finishing at the sacred area called Mata Ngarahu, which is heavily decorated with petroglyphs and looks out to the neighbouring islets. AHU VINAPU: The earliest phase of this site has been dated at 1200 AD. There are 3 altars in the area, and the first, Ahu Tahira, is notable for its perfect stonework in the back wall, reminiscent of stonework produced by the Incas in Cuzco and Machu Picchu. The six moai are face down and the space beneath them has been transformed into a secret chamber. The abdomen of one of these statues was painted with red earth for unknown reasons during the last century. Near the second altar you will find an interesting statue made of red scortia which once had two heads and that some say was female. Of the third altar, only a few rocks now remain. AHU TE PITO KURA: With a moai of over 10 meters and an approximate weight of 90 tons, this statue represents the largest moai to ever be transported and raised on to a platform. Near the ahu are the ruins of an enormous pukao, weighing 1.5 tons. According to collected ethnographic information, this moai was one of the last to be overthrown at the end of the 18th century. Next to the altar is a large round stone known as Te Pito o te Henua (the navel of the world) to which magical powers have been accredited. CAVES - The island contains hundreds of caves, and the largest concentration of these volcanic formations is to be found around Roiho, north of Hanga Roa. Caves, or ana, were used as temporary refuges during times of conflict (ana kio) as well as burial places, storage sites and lodgings. Some of the caves include:Ana Kai Tangata: Formed part of the birdman cult, contains beautiful paintings on the ceiling, done at the end of the 19th century. Ana te Pahu: One of the largest, containing an abundant variety of vegetation inside. Ana te Pora: Has an interesting volcanic form with two levels, containing remains of human occupation. Ana Kakenga: Known as the cave of the two windows due to its large openings over the sea and a neighbouring islet. Ana o Keke: Situated in the steep cliffs of a hill, this cave is 380 meters long and contains some interesting petroglyphs near its entrance. Ana o Neru: Also known as the cave of the virgins where it is said that young girls were kept in preparation for sexual initiation rites. AHU AKIVI - This platform dates from 1500 and was the first altar to be scientifically restored in 1960 by William Mulloy and Gonzalo Figueroa. Its real name is Ahu Atiu, but due to a recent error is now known as Ahu Akivi, actually the name of a neighbouring altar. The platform holds seven moai and has an astronomical orientation marking the direction from which the Pleiades appear during their orbit between June and December, from solstice to solstice. In the island, as in the rest of Polynesia, the New Year began with its appearance on the night of the June solstice, three degrees from the point where the sun rises. According to recent folklore, the statues represent the seven explorers sent by Hotu Matu’a to find the island, helped by the directions of the priest Haumaka in the dream that he had in Hiva. Other sites of interest:THE TAHAI COMPLEX - Ahu Ahu Vai Uri, Ahu Tahai and Ahu Ko Te Riku: Here you will find the best example of a ceremonial centre with 3 Ahu. Ahu Vai Uri with 5 moai, Ahu Tahai with 1 moai, Ahu Ko te Riku with 1 motion which eyes and a pukao (made of red scortia) have been added for tourist interest. In this site you are able to appreciate boat shaped houses, hare moa (chicken houses), manavai (structures to protect plants), umu pae (Polynesian ovens), a natural harbour, a canoe ramp, some small caves and the remains of a in which ceremonies for the dead were performed, called Paina. Nearby is the tomb of the archaeologist William Mulloy who restored the site between 1968 and 1970. AHU NAU NAU AND AHU ATURE HUKE - Ahu Nau Nau was restored between 1978 and 1980 by the local archaeologist Sergio Rapu, and the platform demonstrates a complex construction with various levels. The platform holds 7 moai, 2 of which are broken, the other 5 being the best preserved moai on the island having been buried in sand; they are complete with all the details of their hands, tattoos on their backs and pukao. Some of the stones within the back wall contain interesting petroglyphs. During the excavation an extraordinary eye was found made of white coral with a pupil of red scortia, now on display in the island’s museum. This discovery proved that once the moai had been elevated onto the platform the eyes were inserted so that the spirit of the ancestor entered the statue and offered protection to the village it gazed over. Slightly further behind is the altar Ahu Ature Huke, with just one moai, which was raised by the Norwegian archaeological expedition in 1956, helped by a group of islanders under the then mayor Pedro Atan. PUNA PAU - This secondary crater was used as a quarry for red scortia in order to make the pukao, ornaments which added to the complexity and beauty of the altars and gave power to the various groups. While some people maintain that they represent the hairstyle of the islanders who used to paint their hair red, others suggest that they are hats. According to observations made by some of the 19th century explorers and ethnographic information gathered by Katherine Routledge, the pukao were really called hau hiti rau (hats that make the plants grow) in reference to the practice of placing karakama (stones with inlaid white coral) on top of these red scortia cylinders so as to absorb the power (mana) of their ancestors before burying them. The idea was to give better fertility to the land in which they were buried. Presently there are 58 statues that clearly had pukao and 31 still in the quarry, nevertheless it is very possible that the pukao of some statues have been destroyed or reused in later constructions. POIKE DITCH - According to oral legend, a group of Hanau Eepe took refuge in the Poike volcano during the most critical moment of the conflicts between the rival groups, and built a defensive ditch at the base of the peninsula from north to south. Finally the rival group, the Hanau Momoko surprised them from behind the ditch, (which had been set on fire), and pushed them into it. Only one or two of the Hanau Eepe survived. One of the names for the ditch is Ko te Umu o te Hanau Eepe (the oven of the Hanau Eepe). This bloody battle took place in around 1680 according to the calculations of Father Sebastian Englert, a guess that is backed up by carbon dating carried out by a 1950 Norwegian expedition. Recent archaeological data contradicts this tradition due to the lack of obsidian weapons and later carbon dating puts the date somewhere in the 11th century. According to this theory, the ditch was used to plant taro since the earth here is very fertile and it is sheltered from the wind and the salt of the sea. Furthermore Paymaster William Thompson, who visited the island at the end of the 19th century incorrectly identified the Hanau Eepe as the long ears and the Hanau Momoko as the short ears, confusing the word eepe (strong, solid) with epe (ear), while momomoko means thin or skinny and hanau means to be born. All of this appears to point to two social groups. Sadly the mistranslation by Thompson led to a series of incorrect interpretations of the history of the island, some people even talking of one migration of Polynesians and another of Pre-Columbian origin.

Day 4 Depart Hanga Roa (B)

Transfer to Mataveri Airport.

Trip Details

Accommodation	Simple hotel (3 nts)
Brochure Notes	1. Extra nights hotel and transfers in Hanga Roa can be arranged. 2. Flights are not included and must be purchased separately.
Departure	Departs any day.
Group Size	No Minimum
Included Highlights	Full day tour of along the Moai route, day tour including Orongo, Aku Akivi, Ana Tepahu caverns and the quarry of Puna Pau
Local Payment	N/A
Meals Included	3B, 1 L
Recommendation	A great addition to Easter Island is our Chile & Argentina Gourmet Adventure trip - see code CAG.
StartFinish	ex Easter Island
Testimonial	"Great local guide with extensive series of day trips and extremely comfortable accommodation." - Isabelle Crosbie travelled on Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
Transport	Bus, walking.
Brochure Intro	Explore Easter Island, learn about the interesting history and culture of its inhabitants and see the ancient monolithic stone statues situated throughout this mysterious island.

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