Arrival at Mataveri International Airport on Easter Island, Chile. September 27, 2015 || This little island is still isolated but it’s not as removed these days as it has been in the past thanks to at least 1 daily 5-hour flight from Santiago, Chile, 3,700 kilometres away on the South American mainland. Chilean airline LAN have a monopoly on the route meaning fares are high and delays common, just like the 3 hour delay I experienced today (computer issues with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was the reason given when it eventually came). Easter Island’s Mataveri International Airport, the remotest airport on earth, is very small, its facilities limited. That said, its 3,300-metre-long runway can still accommodate large aircraft like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. That’s because the airport’s runway was upgraded and lengthened in 1987 to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft, the upgrade paid for by NASA in return for allowing the island to be designated as an abort site for the U.S. Space Shuttle.

My first sighting of an iconic Easter Island moai, the well-preserved, white-eyed, red topknot-wearing moai of Ahu Ko Te Riku at the ceremonial centre of Tahai on the outskirts of Hanga Roa, Easter Island. September 27, 2015 || Conditions upon arrival today were glorious; it was sunny & warm. However, the clouds rolled in as the sun was setting, the sun’s rays piercing breaks in the clouds; with 6 nights here, I have time on my side to allow me capture a few good sunset pictures. This image was captured prior to sunset which is late out here – it was approaching 8 p.m. when I took this picture (Easter Island is GMT -6 hrs). I stood here for some time looking beyond the iconic moai and out over the vastness of the calm Pacific as the last light of my first day on the island slowly died. While here I might just have reminded myself how I’d been looking at pictures of this place for aeons. And I also might have, once again, commented silently to myself how cool it was to be here now making my own pictures. And yes, I might also have smiled a few times too. I’ve a few miles on the clock but I still feel oh-so privileged to be here & will hopefully never take moments like I had this evening for granted.

Approaching the end of Day 1 at the ceremonial centre of Tahai on the outskirts of Hanga Roa with the slopes of the island’s Rano Kau volcano (see Day 2) in the distance. Easter Island, Chile. September 27, 2015. || While the vast majority of Easter Island’s ceremonial centres house just one, the ceremonial centre of Tahai outside Hanga Roa contains a total of three ahu, rectangular-shaped elevated platforms upon which the moai statues were erected and which were the spiritual centre of a larger ceremonial space, a sacred space outlined by stone walls or stone pavements (or both). This image shows the (mostly badly eroded) moai of Tahai’s two other ahu – the lone moai of Ahu Tahai itself (left) & the 5 moai of Ahu Vai Uri (right). Like all ceremonial centres dotted around Rapa Nui, the Tahai landscape was extensively modified to create the site and to accommodate it & the many other archaeological structures typical of such settlements, in what was probably some of the very earliest land reclamation projects ever undertaken by humans.

Looking over the crater from the rim of the extinct Rano Kau volcano, Easter Island, Chile. September 28, 2015 || Triangular Easter Island was formed by the eruption of 3 volcanoes, the first of which was some 3 million years ago. This is the crater of the second of the 3 volcanoes to erupt, Rano Kau, which blew its top some 2.5 million years ago. Measuring 1.6 kilometres in diameter, it is the largest crater on the island. Its 11 metre-deep, fresh water, reed-choked lagoon is a highlight of the island but for me the views of the brilliantly blue Pacific Ocean stretching into the distance as seen through a missing chunk of the crater wall stole the show.

Orongo, Easter Island, Chile. September 28, 2015 || The most important ceremonies of the birdman cult took place here at the ceremonial village of Orongo on the ridge of the Rano Kau volcano & overlooking the rocky islet of Motu Nui offshore. The ceremony, or competition, to elect a new birdman could take weeks as the Hopu waited & searched for the first egg of the year. While Rapa Nui’s inhabitants waited, various ceremonial activities took place here in Orongo, a ceremonial village of over 50 low-lying, oval-shaped stone slab huts, the partially restored remains of some of which are seen here facing the sea. When first explored & excavated, these huts contained various petroglyphs & even small moai with carvings of curled-up human figures with birds’ heads and long caved beaks & holding an egg, birdman symbolisation. There were also carvings of Makemake. The most important of all Rapa Nui gods & central to the birdman ritual, he was considered the creator god of humanity. His presence was exclusive to Rapa Nui & some 500 petroglyphs depicting the deity have been found in various locations around the island, although mostly here at Orongo.

Sunset at Ahu Vai Uri, Tahai, Easter Island, Chile. September 28, 2015 || The silhouetted outline of the remaining 5 (of 6 originally) broad, squat & badly eroded moai of Tahai’s Ahu Vai Uri, one of which is nothing more than a stump these days.

Sunset silhouettes at Ahu Ko Te Riku, Tahai, Easter Island, Chile. September 28, 2015.

The moai of Ahu Tongariki on Easter Island, Chile. September 29, 2015 || A moment I will scarcely ever forget, my first time in the presence of the moai of Ahu Tongariki, one of the world’s most sensational sights & the largest ahu to be found on Easter Island. Measuring 200 metres long, Ahu Tongariki is the largest gathering of moai on Easter Island. Home to no less than 15 moai, including an 86-tonne moai, the heaviest ever erected on an ahu, it was completely destroyed by a tsunami in 1960, one so powerful it carried some of the smaller 30-tonne moai upwards of 90 metres inland. The ahu lay in ruins for over three decades until being returned to its present state thanks to a joint Japanese-Chilean restoration project that was competed in 1995.

A fallen giant. A toppled moai at One Makihi, Easter Island, Chile. September 29, 2015 || All of the 288 moai erected on ahu that dot the coastline of Easter Island were toppled as a result of the tribal warfare that marked the end of the island’s statue worship Ahu Moai period. Some of the moai have been restored and stand proud once again lording over their ancesterial lands. But very few, the 15 moai of Ahu Tongariki the most well-known and spectacular example. The majority, just like this giant at the site One Makihi not far from Ahu Tongariki on the island’s southern coast, lay where they fell all those years ago. For centuries the iconic moai silently guarded and protected the Rapa Nui, presiding over the daily life of its people. Sadly today they seem resigned to the passage of time.

Museo Antropologico P. Sebastian Englert, Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Chile. September 30, 2015 || Easter Island’s Museo Antropologico P. Sebastian Englert was/is awesome. Named after Father Sebastian, a German capuchin missionary who studied the way of life and language of Rapa Nui society, the museum is short on flashy interactive displays, fancy lighting, & overbearing guards (& it’s minus an entrance fee too). What it does is deliver good information in a simple & concise manner, covering everything from Easter Island’s formation to its early colonizers, to the rise & fall of its indigenous societal plan, & of course the full spiel on the astonishing & unique statue cult that saw the production, erection & ultimate toppling of the iconic moai, the enduring symbol of the island. ‘The island of mysteries’ is what the museum claims Easter Island to be, stating that in 300 years of contact with the western world the island has been represented as a place of unexplained mysteries. Very true – there seems to be an enigma around every corner out here – and it’s the mysteries that add to the fascination of this enchanting place.

A female moai in the Museo Antropologico P. Sebastian Englert, Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Chile. September 30, 2015 ||Female moai. Well I never. I never gave a second thought to the sex of the Easter Island moai (hands up if you did). The feminists out there will be happy to know that yes, indeed there were female moai, moai with breasts, although not very big ones (the moai or the breasts) & not too many – only about 10 moai display feminine features out of a total of 887 moai registered, as per figures displayed in the museum (other unusual moai include kneeling moai and moai with buttocks). This small female was unearthed as a torso in 1956 by a Norwegian Expedition before being whisked off to Oslo. Amazingly the head was uncovered some 30 years later, in 1988. A request was put in and the torso was returned to Easter Island to be reunited with the head, both now on display here in the Museo Antropologico P. Sebastian Englert to appease the likes of me.

A Rongorongo tablet on display in the Museo Antropologico P. Sebastian Englert, Easter Island, Chile. September 30, 2015 || One of the most enigmatic aspects of Rapa Nui culture ever found, engraved tablets proved that there existed some kind of writing system on Easter Island. This writing system, called Rongorongo, has no precedence in Polynesia and is one of only 4 known writing systems in the world to have been developed independent of any outside influences. Only a select grouping of scholars in Rapa Nui society could decipher the symbols, experts lost in island purges by Peruvian sailors in the 1860s meaning knowledge of their true meaning was lost forever – numerous attempts at deciphering the Rongorongo symbols have been made since, none successfully. 28 original tablets or objects with symbolisim are known to exist to this day, all of which were lost to foreign invaders & plunderers & shockingly none of which are to be found on Easter Island – this is a reproduction on display in the museum.

dMb selfie at Tahai, Easter Island, Chile. September 30, 2015 || I don’t do selfies – you can probably see why – and I certainly would never upload one to my blog. Not normally. But I’ll make an exception for Easter Island. Plus, it was a slow photography day.

Tahai, Easter Island, Chile. September 30, 2015.

Post sunset silhouette at Tahai, Easter Island. September 30, 2015 || It was busy this evening for sunset at Tahai, busier than I’ve seen it thus far – tonight was my 4th Easter Island sunset. Very few clouds meant the day was smashing but the sunset itself a little too perfect – you need a cloud or two. The post sunset sky was much more photogenic.

Sharing the roads of Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015 || I don’t have figures but I assume cows & wild horses collectively outnumber humans on Easter Island – they are everywhere, people aren’t.

My Easter Island wheels in the car park opposite Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015 || At 20,000 Chilean Pesos (€26) a day, this beast is twice as expensive as a bicycle to hire (yet half the price of anything with 4 wheels) but requires way less than half the energy required of anything with peddles. Plus, it will also get you from A to B many multiples of twice as quick, even heeding the island’s 40-60kph speed limit. All that means it’s a much better option for getting around.

Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015.

Anakena, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015 || Easter Island’s rocky & irregular coast has only 2 beaches both of which have volcanic & coral sand. This is Anakena, the largest & most accessible of the two (the other beach is Ovahe, a small cove-like beach around the headland from Anakena). Not only is Anakena the island’s best beach but it’s also a place revered by the local Rapa Nui as local lore claims it to be the location where the founding king of Rapa Nui, who led his people to the island by canoe from the Polynesian islands far to the west, first set foot on the island. To say it is pretty is an understatement. The secluded, picture-postcard crescent-shaped bay with golden sand & backed by swaying palm trees is as idyllic as it gets, except for the fact that it could be any beach on any paradise island. What makes it unique to Easter Island is the moai statues found here sitting proudly atop two ahu, Ahu Nau Nau, home to 7 moai (see next picture), & Ahu Ature Huki. The lone squat moai atop Ahu Ature Huki (small spec on the hill to the right of the image) invariably plays second fiddle to the 7 Ahu Nau Nau moai, but it has a story to tell. A trailblazer of sorts, it was the very first moai on the island to be re-erected to a platform; it took 12 (crane-deprived) islanders a mere 18 days to raise the 25-tonne beauty way back in 1955 – any other moai found on an Easter Island ahu these days was erected/restored post this date.

Ahu Nau Nau, Anakena, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015 || All Easter Island moai were carved in a highly stylized manner & even though it is thought the statues were created over a 500+ year period, with production peaking in the 15th century, all share the same characteristics, some of which are demonstrated by the moai profiles of this picture. All have rounded bellies & with arms placed tightly by their sides, so tightly in fact that they can appear armless; all have long-fingered hands that are always placed across their abdomen; and their heads are long & rectangular, with long drooping ears, pointed chins, prominent, angular noses & thin, tight lips.

Ahu Nau Nau, Anakena, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015 || Another prominent moai feature is their headgear, the dark-red pukao, cylindrical topknots worn today by only a few of the moai standing on Easter Island ahu, 70 being the figure mentioned in some quarters. Themselves weighing upwards of 12 tonnes, the pukao were quarried in a separate part of the island before being placed on the erect moai. No one knows how this was done, a monumental task even for the hydraulic cranes of today. Likewise, there’s only speculation as to what the topknots represent, though they are likely just a simple representation of a decorative headdress. This is the largest concentration of mounted topknots on the island. Some like their Easter Island moai with topknot, some prefer them without topknot. I’m all for topknots, especially beautifully preserved, deep-red ones like those seen here, so needless to say I loved the moai lineup here at Anakena.

Te Pito Kura, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015 || Not far along the along the island’s northeastern coast from Anakena, the moai at Ahu Te Pito Kura, were it still standing, would tower almost 10 metres above its ahu making it the tallest moai ever propped up on an ahu. Estimated to weigh approximately 82 tons, its topknot/pukao alone, laying some metres in front of the face down moai, is estimated to weigh a cool 10 tons.

The entrance to Te Pito Kura, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015 || All the archaeological sites dotted around Easter Island are well signposted with most of them having accompanying info boards detailing the site. While it may be small & remote, Easter Island is well set up for tourism; it’s easy to explore and informative.

Walking among the unused pukao at Puna Pau, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015 || Puna Pau is a volcanic centre not far from Hanga Roa. It was the location for the moai pukao/topknot quarry, where the distinctive blood-red moai headpieces were carved. Quarried out of a crater, the island’s main source of red volcanic scoria, today about 20 pukao of large dimensions lay dispersed around the small site ready for transportation to their designated ahu, with several of them have showing petroglyphs that represent canoes and tribal signs. While the pukao were sourced & most of the carving was done here at Puna Pau, the carving was only completed once the pukao were transported to their ahu and placed on the head of the moai.

Rano Raraku, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015.

The head of a moai on the outer, sea-facing windswept slopes of Rano Raraku, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015 || All Easter Island moai were chiselled out of tuff rock until they were attached to the bedrock only by a thin keel at their back. When complete, except for their eye sockets which were always fitted when the moai was erect on its ahu, they were freed and slid down the quarry’s slope to be temporarily stored in pits prior to being transported to their ahu. Of course how the 12.5-tonne (on average, some finished moai weigh 80-90 tonnes) statues were transported is one of the biggest Easter Island enigmas (as is how they were erected once they arrived at their platforms). Theories abound, everything from island lore claiming the moai walked to their platforms using their mana (supernatural power or force) to being rolled via wooden rollers, the most widely accepted theory & accepted reason for the deforestation of the island, itself the proposed reason for the eventual collapse of Rapa Nui society itself. This moai, located today well away from the Rano Raraku rock face, was probably completed, or very close to being competed, and was awaiting transport to its designated ahu. Needless to say it went no further and today it just one of many I-never-reached-my-full-potential moai lining a well-trodden path on the outer slopes of Rano Raraku.

A moai in the crater of Rano Raraku, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015 || Most of the moai heads in Rano Raraku do have bodies. They are full statues buried or encroached upon by surrounding soil over the years (think iceberg, with only a small portion visible). Walking among these moai figures was like being in some sort of Neolithic statue theme park, except it was real. Very real. I also had the whole scene, one of the most gorgeous places I’d ever been to, all to myself. It was beyond awe-inspiring, oh-so memorable. But little did know it was only going to get better.

Rano Raraku, Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015 || I clambered up to the rim of the Rano Raraku crater, not sure if I was supposed to – there was a trail, albeit an obscure one. The very last portion of the accent, to the very rim of the crater itself, saw me pull myself up onto a rock to access the ledge. Once there I looked down, only to realise I was standing on the massive face of an unfinished moai. I stopped dead. I was frozen. It was an amazing moment and as I lived it the obvious kept coming to the forefront of my thoughts – how the hell, upon completion, did the Rapa Nui ever propose getting the thing down (before reminding myself that they’d somehow managed it many, many times already)?

The view from the ridge of the windswept Rano Raraku crater, looking towards the east of the island and the 15 moai of Ahu Tongariki, was something special (everything about today at Rano Raraku was). Having a massive unfinished moai up here with me was just the icing on the cake. Easter Island, Chile. October 1, 2015.

Dusk at Hanga Roa harbour, Easter Island, Chile. October 2, 2015 || Just like sunrise, sunset today wasn’t up to much either. But I was still there in Tahai on the outskirts of Hanga Roa just in case, & just like I have been every night I’ve been here, to see whatever there was to see of my sixth & last Easter Island sundown. Again my camera stayed in my bag. I took it out on the way back to my guesthouse when passing Hanga Roa’s quaint little harbour, somewhere I’ve passed many times this week & somewhere where you’ll find the weathered Ahu Tautira, home to the only moai in the town proper.

Southern coastal road pit stop on Easter Island, Chile. October 2, 2015 || Me again, this time on the roads of eastern Easter Island. Sharing the frame with me here is some of the many horses that roam all over the island (along with the cows) and in the distance is the upper reaches of the moai quarry of Rano Raraku.

Passport stamp overlooking Anakena, Easter Island, Chile. October 2, 2015 || It’s not the island’s remoteness. It’s not the mysteries or enigmas associated with it. It’s not even the iconic moai statues. Nope, the real reason people venture to Easter Island is to get the stamp. Available in the tiny Hanga Roa Post Office to anyone who presents their passport (or just a piece of paper for that matter), the Isla de Pascua (Easter Island in Spanish) stamp is the ultimate Rapa Nui keepsake. This is mine taking pride of place on page 22 of my passport. It was acquired today before hitting the road and is seen here as photographed from atop a hill overlooking the beach at Anakena, somewhere that looked so much more inviting when bathed in yesterday’s sunshine.

Ana Kai Tangata, Easter Island, Chile. October 2, 2015 || Today was a good indoorsy kind of day, a good day to visit a cave. I’d visited Ana Kai Tangata before, on day 2, but I returned today to photograph its rock art, one of the finest examples of such artistic expression on the island. Along with rock carving/petroglyphs, rock painting was another way Rapa Nui culture used to express their beliefs. Carvings are abundant on the island, paintings less so with the art here in the Ana Kai Tangata cave on the outskirts of Hango Roa the most prominent place left on the island to view pictographs (although they are hard to spot & even harder to decipher without the aid of a guide).

An iPod shot of the southern coast & eastern portion of Easter Island as seen after take-off of LAN flight LA842 en route to Santiago, Chile. October 3, 2015 || I’ve just taken off & I’m en route back the South American mainland. My 7-day holiday within a holiday – South America – within a holiday – my general being – is over. It was an amazing last week experiencing a truly amazing, enchanting location, one big outdoor museum, the remnants of a unique cultural phenomenon that thrived in isolation on a small island in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean. I knew pre-arrival that Easter Island was going to leave an impression. I just underestimated how much of an impression. I’m going to miss the island but god only knows I’m taking enough media – both in digital & print form – with me to remind me of a location like no other.

Sunrise at Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island, Chile. October 3, 2015.

Awaiting sunrise at Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island, Chile. October 3, 2015.

When the sun rose, the shadows the moai of Ahu Tongariki cast were awesome. A nice send-off indeed. Post sunrise shadows at Ahu Tongariki on Easter Island, Chile. October 3, 2015.