Birdman commemoration petroglyphs

At the end of the cliff, there were petroglyphs commemorating the birdmen from each year.
Between the 18th and mid-19th centuries Orongo was the centre of a birdman cultwhose defining ritual was an annual race to bring the first manutara (sooty tern) egg back undamaged from the nearby islet of Motu Nuito Orongo. The race was very dangerous, and hunters often fell to their deaths from the cliff face. The site has numerous petroglyphs, mainly of tangata manu (birdmen) which may have been carved to commemorate some of the winners of this race.Read more