The Birdmen Of Rapa Nui

Getting into the minibus this morning we were surprised to see helmets with torches, I'd had more than my fair share of that at the Potosi mine in Bolivia. It turned out we were going down a lava tunnel, though it was only 250m long and we only had to duck a couple of times. Getting in and out was probably the hardest bit, though itwasn't really too difficult at all.

We were told that only locals could buy and sell land on the island. Which according to the guide was a good thing or the place would become like another Hawaii. Hawaii is lovely, but I do take his point.

Our last couple of stops were around the Ranu Kua crater. By this point the rain had set in. Good job we bought some ponchos in Cusco, even though we hadn't actually used them in anger yet.

The top of the crater was where the Birdman competition, which ran for around 200 years started and finished. In an attempt to stop the waring between tribes, in the mid 1600s it was decided to hold a competition, where the winner, or more usually an older member of the tribe, would be crowned king for the following year. The Birdman competition involved, starting on the top of the crater, at 300m above sea level. Then heading down to the sea including a 100m of cliffs, then swimming to an island, collecting one of the first eggs layed by the Sooty Tern and then a race back to the start. Winning was highly prestigious just surviving was pretty good going.

Due to the rain the tour finished a little early and we were back by 3pm however, the rain turned torrential shortly after getting back and continued almost non stop until around 7pm. There is something quite comforting about listening to very heavy rain, as long as you're under cover of course.Read more