Rano Raraku crater

Tukuturi is an unusual moai. Its beard and kneeling posture distinguish it from standard moai.

The peculiar posture of this statue is well known on Easter Island and is called tuku turi or simply tuku. It was the posture used by the men and women who formed the chorus in the festivals called riu, where the posture was known as tuku riu. Typical also of the singers was the slightly backward inclination of the trunk, the raised head, and the goatee, all also seen in the statue.

The sides of Rano Raraku crater are high and steep except on the north and northwest, where they are much lower and gently sloping. The interior contains one of the island's three freshwater crater lakes, which is bordered by nga'atu or totora reeds. These plants, once thought as evidence of contact with the South American mainland, are now known to have been growing on the island for at least 30,000 years and were used by the Rapa Nui for thatched shelter and swimming aids.

When we were walking towards the crater track, the guards came amd saw us and the rest of the people inside. I guess they were incensed and started honking the horn of their vehicle to catch our attention. We didn't want to miss out on the crater so we ignored it and continued our climb to the edge of the crater. We spent about 10 min there before returning back to the entrance. The park was still not opened. We were questioned by the guards. Ome of them was quite angry but the seniormost was pretty cool about it. He just told the other guard to check our pictures and if nothing damaging found, to let us go. They checked our pictures and of course we had obeyed all the rules except the entrance in not allowed timings so we were let go. 😁Read more