Rano Kau volcano
Trip Start
Mar 01, 2006
1
245
551
Trip End
Dec 01, 2007
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Rapa Nui,
Chile
Saturday, January 20, 2007
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I got up a bit later than planned, and so after having had breakfast and struggling to really wake up, I started my day at around noon. The plan was simple: go up Rano Kau, the volcano forming the south-western tip of the island.
German Simone was going too, so we decided to walk together. We first followed the shore, past the fishermen harbour where we had bought the big tuna the day before, and then up across the slope of the crater, through grass and small bushtrees. Later we walked into eucalyptus forest for a short time, before reaching the higher part mainly covered in grass and schrubs. From there we had a good view on the whole island.
Rano Kau, which we were climbing, culminates at 400m, like Munga Pu A Katiki, the northeastern volcano, and with Maunga Terevaka dominating the island (or rather "being" the island) from its 500m. These three main volcanoes form the island, with some 70 other minor volcanoes, as I had learned at the museum theday before.
We finally reached the edge of the crater: 1600m in diameter, 200m deep. Steep flancs, and a freshwater lake in the bottom, with floating vegetation.. On the opposite side, the crater wall was really lower, and we could see the ocean. Great place, that had once been communicating with the inner depths.
We went to the Orongo ceremonial village, made of particular stone houses, with tiny entrances. There were also some petroglyphs. The village was on the crater, completely on the south of the island.
Offshore we could see a couple of Motu, or small islands, which used to be part of the cult of the birdman: Starting from Orongo, men from different clans had to climb down the cliffs (400 meters), cross the stretch of ocean to the motus, and from there retrieve the first egg of the sooty stern. The winner would become the birdman for the following year, although it is unclear what were his prerogatives.
The view was impressive there, with these three small motus in a huge ocean, and a crater behind. The Rapanui knew how to navigate with the stars and currents, and it is believed they would regularly go some 500km away to fetch some birds and eggs from uninhabited islands... that lets you hint that they knew perfectly how isolated they were. Imagine being there, thousands of km from any other inhabited land... and from the top of these main volcanoes, you could look down on the whole island!!! Such a small place to live in, with no hope to go anywhere else, and nobody coming from outside...
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