Prologue

With Rapa Nui we have taken a different approach to recording our visit.

Being a small island, exploring the landscape of Rapa Nui is not too demanding and the few roads are travelled over a number of times. There are a few places on the island where the landscape is outstanding, but it is also interwoven with the culture and history, the exploration of which is an entirely different matter.

There is hardly a place on the island which does not have some historical significance, any stone could just be part of the landscape, on the other hand it could just as well be part of the history. Yet each place is only a piece in the jig-saw, producing a picture which contains more gaps than completed sections, giving rise to many more questions than answers. Without a time machine, we are never going to get a clear idea of what occured on Rapa Nui for over 1400 years of isolation.

Therefore, this travelogue is not much more than a diary of day to day events, the main descriptions of the sites, history and culture are in our 'Easter Island Digest', where we have fitted together the things we have leant as best we can. In a visit of only one week the pressure to do and see as much as possible resulted in some memories running into others and a lack of time to ensure that we fully and accurately recorded our impressions; please bear with us.

Should you ever get to visit Rapa Nui yourself then please let us know what you discover and help us correct the errors and omissions we have made.

Friday 8 February

Arrived at Buenos Aires airport in good time for our flight to Santiago to join the British Museum group on a visit to Easter Island - Rapa Nui - and their annual Tapati festival.

Passed through formalities without problems and at 11.00am (15min late) we were on our way.

Indiginous statue

At Santiago airport we picked up a minibus run by TransVIP which quickly transferred us to our central hotel for 2.15pm well in time for a city visit at 3.00pm. The tour mainly followed the one set out in Lonely Planet. First we walked to the Palacio de la Moneda, this is now the office of the President of Chile but was originally the countries mint and hence the name. From there we moved on to the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art where we saw some of the major artefacts, mainly from Central America and the northern part of South America. Our walking tour finished with a brief visit to the Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas.

From here we took a bus to Cerro San Cristobal, a large hill on the outskirts of Santiago, the top of which can be reached by a very winding road. Here stands the largest statue of the Madonna in the world, constructed from steel and painted white there is also a view over the city, partly obscured by the virtually permanent traffic haze.

On the way we passed over the Rio Mapocho along which they are currently laying a tunnel, the water has been confined to about 1/4 the rivers normal width leaving the rest for working.

Our last stop was Vitacura, an area of town where we visited a shop selling Lapislazure jewellery.

Following a 7.00pm meeting the rest of the group ate in the hotel restaurant but we decided to go out to a local cafe, 'National 1', as recommended in Lonely Planet. We had hoped to have Pastel de Chocio a maize casserole filled with vegetables chicken and beef, unfortunately they didn't have any left so we had a Spanish Tortilla as second choice.

Returned at 9.30pm for an early night to catch up on our sleep and get ready for another early call.

Saturday 9 February

6.00am and the telephone rang with our alarm call. At 6.30am and a trolley, beautifully laid out with our breakfast arrived, we aren't used to such luxury, then it was back to Santiago airport for our Easter Island flight.

This being the start of the Tapati Festival the flight was full and a few mix-ups with seats caused both by the airline as well as some passengers sitting in the wrong places caused some minor problems. But with a bit of shuffling and upgrading all was finally sorted out, and we were off.

After a 6 1/2 hour flight a meal and an inflight film we were flying over Easter Island, unfortunately we had only been able to get aisle seats and so couldn't enjoy the view.

Disembarked into a warm pulsating throng of people, mainly composed of local Rapanui welcoming relatives back for the festival, After receiving our garland of flowers we were shown to a couple of mini-buses and after a short journey we were at our hotel.

After settling in, at 4.15pm we took a short walk first to the centre of Hanga Roa to Hanga Vari Vari where a new moai has been erected and the stage for the Tapati was being put up. Then out east to the Tahai site with its three Ahu; Ahu Tahaiitself, Ko Te Riku and Vai Uri with 6 Moai bases and 5 Moai, The large site, that Cristian our guide helped to put in context, has been extensively restored by Mullory contained a Hare Paenge, chicken houses and caves as well as the Ahus

Ahu Vai Uri

After dinner, at 9.45pm we went down to the town to see the opening of the Tapati Festival and a folk performance. The production was very professional with stage lighting speaker towers. The principle dancers/ actors wore head mikes even though there was no where they could hide the radio transmitter in their loin cloths.

Left at 11.30pm before it started to rain so missed the presentation of the Queens.

Sunday 10 February

Woke at 4.30am to hear the beat of drum at a fast pulse rate, the sound of base notes and chanting from a nearby Rapa Nui Disco. The rhythm was a modern form of Polynesian music.

Woke again at 7.30am to the sound of cockerels crowing to each other across the village.

After breakfast we attended Mass at the local church. The service was conducted to a full congregation in both Spanish and Rapanui with hymns sung to a deeply harmonious Polynesian rhythm accompanied by drum, guitar and accordion and the soft sonorous voice of the priest.

At 10.30am we drove out to the Englert Archaeological Museum where Cristian gave us a tour explaining many aspects of island life and archaeology so that we were able to start piecing together the islands story.

On the way back we called in at the football ground to seeing the tapa (a bark cloth) and mat weaving competition, unfortunately, intense discussions on the rules were taking place and they still hadn't started by 1.30pm so couldn't wait any longer.

Ahu Vinapu Wall detail

In the afternoon we visited Vinapu to see Ahu Tahiri with its accurately constructed walls. Its similarity with walls in South America led Thor Heyerdahl to conclude that the Rapanui came from there, but recent DNA evidence now proves this to be wrong and similar walls have been found in other Polynesian cultures indicating parallel development between South America and Polynesia. Finished the afternoon by calling in at the school to look at handicraft before returning to the hotel to catch up on notes and reading.

After dinner we again went down to Hanga Vare Vare for the Queens fashion show when they show off garments that they, or relatives and friends, have made using traditional materials. There were lively shouts of support and barracking from the audience, especially when one of the contestants remove her skirt to explain what her pants were made of. Each candidate displayed four garments made using feathers, shells, mahute (tapa) cloth and banana leaves. Points were awarded for quality, originality and presentation.

Tapati

Monday 11 February

Rano Raraku

Drove out to Rano Raraku to look at the quarry where many of the moai were carved. Again we were guided by Cristian who had assisted with the gathering of much of the archaeological evidence and making many of the drawings. We had expected the island outside Hanga Roa to be uninhabited with open grazing land that was no longer used but there were small farms here and there with field enclosures of stone or wire. Cows and horses seemed to roam at will grazing away.

Fast growing eucalyptus trees have been planted on many of the slopes in an effort to restore some woodland, but there is also concern because the eucalyptus doesn't allow undergrowth to form beneath it. Parking at the car park to the south of Rano Raraku, we first walked up to the south slope and visited a kneeling statue, Moai Tuturi, then followed a path east viewing the moai that were still in the ground in the process of being carved or had been lowered down the slopes for finishing. A pleasant fragrance from the vegetation accompanied us as we went. The old name for the area translates as 'Fragrant Mountain'.

Kneeling statue Tukuturi

Behind us was the peak of Poike and on the shore Ahu Tongariki. Gradually we worked our way around to the west photographing as we went until we were able to pass over the rim of the crater to view the lake of Rano Raraku ahead of us. We were also able to see Rano Kau in the distance with rain clouds gathering on it, we had chosen the best end of the island.

Once in the crater, whilst the rest of the group circled east around the lake we climbed up the crater edge to the highest point so as to be able to get a better view of the lake and the landscape.

Returning by the path we ascended we hurried to catch up with the group as they made their way to a lower part of the rim to look out across to Poike and Tongariki.

By now lunch was approaching so we retraced our steps to the crater rim and then descended south west to a clump of trees where the bus drivers had the picnic ready and we could enjoy it in the shade.

Ahu Tongarikio

After lunch we were able to have a closer look at 15 moai of Ahu Tongarikio which is the largest ahu and was reconstructed in 1992 by a Japanese crane company as part of a promotional film. As all the archaeology had been destroyed in 1960 by a 32 ft tsunami originating off the coast of Chile, which carried the moai weighing up to 50 tons 200m inland, it was felt that this was a site that could be reconstructed without the danger of further destruction of evidence. A statue close to the Tongarikio site stands alone having been abandonded by some previous group and now looks towards the Ahu it should be occupying some 100m away.

Just to the north of Ahu Tongariki where petroglyphs representing, birdmen, turtles, the god Make Make, tuna and other fish have been carved in the rock. Returned to the hotel at 5.00pm for a swim and recovery and an evening free from festivities.

Petroglyph of Birdman

Tuesday 12 February

During the night we were awoken by heavy rain but it had stopped by breakfast.

For the first visit of the day we went to see the single moai Huri A Urenga on an inland site with his four hands and aligned to the summer solstice.

With intermittent rain showers the tracks soon turned to mud and deep puddles formed. Driving through these we slid our way to our next site, the quarry Puna Pau the main but not only source for red scoria in the island.

Ahu Akivi

Then on to Ahu Akivi to see the seven moai aligned to the setting sun but although the sun was also shining on us it was raining at the same time. Fortunately it stopped for a while so that we could have lunch but started again as we left. When we reached our final site at Ahu Tepeu the rain was still falling and so we had to sit it out in the minibus until it stopped.

Ahu Tepeu is thought to be an old site that has been redeveloped over time. Cristian suggests that the initial form was just the series of vertical stones that now form the back to the ahu, that these stones were the representation of the ancestors and it was later that some one got the idea of carving an image onto stone from which the moai developed.

Close by was Ana Te Pora a lava tube cave that we were able to walk through. Because of the extra moisture that accumulates in the entrance banana trees were growing. The cave was used to hide in in times of trouble and also for storage as it was cooler and out of the sun. Trees have also been planted in cave mouths to identify the opening and so warn of the danger. Finished the afternoon with a visit to a concrete moai that Cristian had constructed as part of a TV documentary.

Ana Te Pora

For the evenings entertainment we were treated to traditional culture, After reading out the rules of the event it started off with dancing by children 13 years and younger. It seemed that every child in the extended family were taking part. At 11.00pm as the second group came to the end of their performance the rain start and as they finished and left the stage the heavens opened and we were soaked.

Wednesday 13 February

More rain, we had planned a trip to Orongo for the morning but instead went to the craft market which was supposed to open at 9.00am but even by 10.30am there were stalls that weren't open but that didn't prevent most people from buying.

We followed this up with a visit to the gallery of a local carver and his wife who specialised in producing prints of petroglyph and paper that she had produced herself from local fibres. We bought prints of a turtle and a bird, others purchased wood carvings

As the weather still didn't look as if it was going to improve we abandoned Orongo for the day and instead after lunch set off along the south coast to visit some ahus that should have been on the next days itinerary.

Arrived at the first site at Ahu Akahanga and sat in the vans as the rain poured down. After it had eased a little we ventured out to inspect the site wearing various arrangements of rain protection. After some minutes it threw it down again but we persevered and were rewarded with clearing skies and a warm drying wind. Two frigates flew close by.

Mae'a Puhi Trumpet stone

Next brief stop was Ahu Hanga Te Tenga with a 12m moai lying in four pieces by a low ahu. Carrying on along the road to the north we came to a rock by the side of the road that had a number of holes that were formed in it when it solidified. With the right technique a trumpet sound could be made by blowing into a hole. The old name for the stone was Pu O Hiro - God of the Wind, the modern name is Mae'a Puhi - trumpet stone.

Finally we took a look at the Poike Trench over which there are conflicting points of view. Legend tells that it was a ditch built by the clan occupying Poike to protect their territory from other tribes and that they were taken by surprise from behind and driven into their own ditch in which a fire was set and all but four of them perished.

Archaeology shows that there are carbon deposits in the trench but no human remains have been found.

A similar legend is told on the Macarias Islands about another Poike.

Returned to the hotel more hopeful that the weather of the past two days was on the turn.

Thursday 14 February

Woke to skies clear of rain though still with a few clouds. So today we caught up on some of the program we didn't manage yesterday. For our first stop we called in at Ana Kai Tangata the Cave of the Cannibals, a sea cave that we reach down a narrow cliff path. Rock painting showing sooty terns could be seen though most had now been lost due to weathering and erosion.

Rock paintings of Sooty Terns

Then on to the famous village of Orongo that was used during the birdman ritual, sitting on the edge of the Rano Kau creator with fantastic views over to the three island, Motu Kao Kao, Motu Iti and Motu Nui, the first two were not used by the birdmen but the outer larger Motu Nui was where they waited for the sooty terns

Front of Orongo houses

The stone houses have been restored to provide a visitors attraction but the most attractive part of the site are the exquisitely carved petroglyphs that could be seen on almost every rock and the spectacular views. After stopping briefly on the road back to view over Hanga Roa we called at Maunga Te Manavai a site on a hill to the east of the runway where obsidian to make tools and arrow heads was collected, it could be found just laying about on the ground.

Time was pressing and so we pressed on to Anakena beach for our BBQ lunch, but again there were still places to visit on the way. Called in at Vaitea the sheep farm run by the company Williamson Balfour from the late 1800s until 1953. The farm is now unoccupied and the land owned by CONFED the company contracted by the Chilean government to help run the services on the island. Corrugated farm buildings stand about still in reasonable state of repair.

Finally arrived at Anakena beach at 1.30am to enjoy a BBQ of tuna and chicken and a swim in the sea. Before leaving we took a look at the restored Ahu Naunau. Sonia who had been a student on the archaeological dig in 1979 and finder of the moai eye that is displayed in the museum showed us around. We also looked at a single moai standing to the south of the main ahu commemorating the Kon Tiki expedition.

Back on the road with a visit to Te Pito Kura - Naval of the World, a large egg shaped stone about 3ft long. It is said to have been brought to the island on the canoe bringing the first settlers. It would have been used as moveable ballast to keep the canoes trimmed. Just to the south is Ahu Te Pito Kura where the largest moai on the north side of the island now lays face down and broken, but its top knot appears to have been set up and an area around it cobbled, perhaps some people were trying to hang on to the older moai tradition as best they could or were developing a new cult which lost out to the birdmen. Shallow holes have been drilled into the topknot to release the mana and so make it safer to handle.

Te Pito Kuri Navel of the World

On the way back to the hotel Sonia took us to see an area north of Rano Raraku where she was investigating the agricultural practices of Rapa Nui. The soil in the area is poor only 20 cm deep laying on top of rock with peat between. The only good reason for living in the area was its closeness to Rano Raraku and many of the skeletons found did have worn wrists and elbow joints indicating that they were carvers.

Due to the previous rain the events of the Tapati had been rescheduled and the evenings event was Kia Kia known to us as cats cradle. As expected it wasn't a great spectator sport and so we left early.

Friday 15 February

Poike from Maunga Terevaka

The last full day on the island and a little bit of a rest from culture with a 4-wheel drive trek to MaungaTerevaka, the highest point on the island. We started our assent near Ahu Akivi and made our way over first rutted track and later grass track, winding through rounded hillocks until we drove up to the very summit at 517m as registered by GPS. this gave us views over all of the island. The treeless rolling landscape to the north was how we had imagined the whole of the island looked.

From Maunga Terevaka Cristian wanted to try and find a route to a crater on the north shore that he had previously only been able to get to along a coastal route. But after several false tracks concluded that no such route existed and so we made for our lunch at Anakena, stopping at Rano Aroi which is a lake completely covered in reeds. It was also one of the sources for blocks used to construct ahu walls.

Following our lunch stop we continued on to Poike first of all driving around to north part of the peninsula to Ana O Keke the Cave of the Virgins where we descended down a cliff path to crawl into a cave and look at the petroglyphs carved in the rock. Returning the way we had come we stopped at Maunga Vai-Heva where there is a carving called Vai A Heva which depicts a grieving husband whose wife and family has been killed.

Rano Kau from Maunga Terevaka

Moai on Poike

Most of the group returned to the hotel from here but with one other member be decided to take the opportunity to climb to the top of Poike which was near by. After 20 minutes we were at the top with fine views across the whole island, stopping on the way up at a lone moai which was eroded but still recognisable. We spent 10 minutes looking around before descended by the same route and returned to the hotel.

For the evening an Umu, a celebration used at the start of any major project and at its end, was arranged. Food was cooked in a pit in the ground in which first of all stones had been heated until red hot. The fire was then removed and layers of hot stones, banana leaves and food placed in the pit and everything covered with earth. We were served up a very sweet concoction of grain and sugar cane, potatoes, tarro, which also had a potato texture and flavour, sweet potatoes and yam which was orange with a green skin.. For meat we had chicken, beef and tuna and plenty of everything. Jennifer dresses for the evening in a grass skirt that she has bought for her neice.

Umu pit

After sitting around chatting for a while we retired to pack the bags ready for our return journey.

Saturday 16 February

The Tapati had continued into the early hours of the morning and had been followed up by a disco that ended about 6am. By now we were used to it and it was the sound of the waves breaking on the beach that woke us.

We had a number of things we wished to do before we left and not too much time to do them in. So immediately after breakfast we split up to pop up to the museum to collect an English translation of the exhibits at the museum that hadn't been available on our last visit and to complete the packing and take a look at Cristians drawings, one of which we latter purchased.

We then visited the local market to buy a moai to display on our trophy fence but couldn't find one we liked but a visit to a nearby shop solved the problem along with a CD of Rapa Nui music.

An area of Hanga Roa we hadn't visited was the fishing port and so with our last hour before lunch we walked west along the coast to see it and watch the waves breaking on the rocks. At the port is a loan moai which is eroded but sitting on a fine ahu, after taking a few photos we returned to the hotel just in time to wash up ready for a leisurely lunch.

Looking back from fisherman's harbour

Our bags had already gone to the airport before us and with seats booked and boarding cards acquired so we stayed at the hotel until the last possible moment. After saying good bye to all the staff and receiving our pepe (shell) necklaces we left for the airport at 1.20pm to catch our 2.25pm flight. With few formalities and no other air-traffic to consider, we were in the air by 2.30pm for an uneventful return flight to Santiago, a speedy transfer to our hotel and an early night, by Rapa Nui time.

Sunday 17 February

We started the day with a leisurely stroll up to Cerro San Lucia, a small hill in the centre of Santiago with gardens and a viewpoint over the city. Santiago sits in a bowl with views of the Andes to the east, except they are almost invisible in the smog that hangs high over the city.

The centre of Santiago has a number of pleasant squares and pedestrian streets through which we walked. We would seem to have been too early for the locals as things only appeared to get started after noon. Stopped for a snack before returning to the hotel for a swim in the roof pool, the water was freezing! Lay around in the sun to dry out before undertaking our final pack. As some of the group had potential problems with their tickets, changes of flight times and numbers, we left early for the airport at 4.15pm to ensure we got the seats we wanted. After a slow check in all was sorted and we progressed through into the departure lounge for our flight home via Madrid.

Top of San Lucia Santiago