Last full day

Our last full day -- we drove into town & roamed around it for a bit, returned the car and then one last tour in the afternoon.

The tour covered 4 stops:
Ahu Uri Urenga -- one lone moai, not near the water. Aligned to face the winter solstice sunrise, he's an ancient solar calendar. Another unique property: he has 2 pairs of hands. Our guide said this was b/c the sculptor didn't carve him correctly the first time and had to 'fix' the problem.
Puna Pau: the quarry where the red stone for the pukao, or topknot, comes from.
Ahu Akivi: also located inland, but they are the only moai statues facing the ocean: they are positioned to face sunset during Spring Equinox & have their backs to the sunrise during Autumn Equinox.
Tahai Village: has 3 ahus -- Ahu Vai'Uri (5 moais), Ahu Tahai & Ahu Ko Te Riki (1 moai each). It's one of the few places where the sun sets behind the statues.Læs mere