Rapa Nui - Easter Island - Isla de Pascua pt 2

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P.S. I managed to publish this before I finished it, but it's finished now.

Because the Moai and related sites are protected, you can't wander around most of the areas on your own, you need to be in the company of a guide and always bring your national park ticket (except in the Tahai). The cool thing is the ticket gets stamped and it's a nice souvenir. We saw so many things and I'm sure I'm not going to get everything right or identify everything, but I'll try.

We first went to a site with some recreated dwellings and even a chicken coop and learned how they were created and how building materials were repurposed when necessary. 



At Akahanga we saw many toppled Moai and some topple top knots (those are the red stones). In some cases, Moai were toppled because the people lost faith in their gods, in other cases it was because of fights between the different clans. They were originally built between 1200 and 1500, give or take a hundred years or so. 
toppled Moai


We went to Tongariki and saw the fifteen restored Moai, all individual, with details in the front and the back.



tongariki


buried Moai

Walking along in Rano Raraku



unfinished Moai


Tukuturi, the kneeling Moai

the navel of the world

As I sit here reflecting on this day and looking at the photos, I'm a little stunned at how amazing it was and unfathomable to be amongst these giants made over 1200 years ago. How were they carved, how were they moved, and what they meant to the people of this island. It was a beautiful day, although to be honest, I didn't have a bad day here. The walk was more of a hike than a stroll, but it wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done. It does take some effort and if you're unsteady on your feet or have mobility issues, you should make sure to research your options with you travel company to make sure you don't miss out or have any unexpected challenges.

Our last stop of the day was about 30 minutes or so at Anakena Beach. The water looked so blue and the weather was still perfect. I walked around to the Ahu Nau Nau moai and continued to soak up the sun. The beach was quite crowded, although probably not by Florida or California beach standards, but it was pretty busy.

Ahu Nau Nau

Anakena Beach

Our guide, Sebastian, gave us a lot of information throughout the different parts of the tour. It can be information overload, and it was for me. I should have taken notes, which wasn't totally practical, but it would have helped. Hopefully the photos tell the story and do justice to the experience.

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