South America 2026

A great tour that took us around a sizeable part of this very manageable island.
==> First a few fun facts:
1) Moai are carved from volcanic tuff between 1000 & 1650 CE, & represent deified ancestors & chiefs; they are traditionally positioned on 'ahus' facing inland to watch over their communities.
2) ALL moai were toppled during historic conflicts. Those standing were raised by restorers.
3) "Ahu" means sacred stone platform, the foundation for moai statues.
4) The official languages of Easter Island are Spanish & Rapanui. Written Rapanui consists of 20 characters (10 consonants & 10 vowels including their long form) & a 'glottal' stop represented by an apostrophe. (Glottal? Apparently a sound produced by the glottis which is an opening in the throat that's closed when you swallow. Who knew?? 🧐)
5) the 'Ŋ' in the signage is one of the Rapanui consonants, is pronounced 'ng' like 'king', & is translated as such in western language & writing.

Now, the tour:
First stop: Vaihu -- an archaeological site on the south coast. It features a large, unrestored ceremonial platform w/ 8 toppled moai that were left as they fell during 18th century clan conflicts. It's believed they were not raised to symbolize the crumbling of civilization.
Following along the south coast, we visited Ahu Akahanga. Traditionally known as the burial place of the first king: Hotu Matu'a. History is sketchy here & largely driven by oral tradition. But it's suggested the first settlement arrived on Anakena Beach ~400CE. Akahanga has 13 fallen/broken moai, some still w/ their pukao (aka: 'topknots') still around. It was also the ancestral home of our guide whose great grandfather was born here ~1841 and lived here for ~10 yrs.
Next visit: Rano Raraku -- an extinct volcanic crater that served as the primary quarry for ~95% of the moai statues carved over the course of ~500 yrs. There are ~400 unfinished or abandoned Moai here.
The USAF was stationed on Easter Island between 1966 & 1971 operating a satellite station to support military projects & minor satellites. Apparently when they were bored they occasionally used the moai as shooting targets. :(Read more