Rano Raraku

Rano Raraku is a volcanic crater formed of consolidated volcanic ash, or tuff, and located on the lower slopes of Terevaka in the Rapa Nui National Park on Easter Island in Chile. It was a quarry for about 500 years until the early eighteenth century, and supplied the stone from which about 95% of the island's known monolithic sculptures (moai) were carved. Rano Raraku is a visual record of moai design vocabulary and technological innovation, where 397 moai remain. Rano Raraku is in the World Heritage Site of Rapa Nui National Park and gives its name to one of the seven sections of the park.
We reached there at about 8 am. The vehicle barrier was closed and there was no board or sign informing about when they would open. We needed to return the car by 10 am so didn't have the time to wait. We parked the car outside the barrier and walked in. There were a few other vehicles waiting there. Some of them decided to follow us in 😉
Inside, we crossed another barrier and a wicker gate and went in. The hillside had a number of moais spread all over and they looked very mystic in the overcast sky and the extreme silence of the morning with no one else around.Read more