Rapa Nui

       When I had re-routed my tickets, I managed to include flights to Easter Island, which are otherwise an extremely expensive $800 return!  Rapa Nui, as the locals call it, is the world`s most remote island at 1,900km from anywhere & after flying for 5 hrs over the Pacific Ocean, I can believe it! I expected it to be interesting, but was surprised at how much there was to see, with archeology & history everywhere, along with 3 extinct volcanoes & rugged scenery.

01 My First Moai

           Its history & colonization have been hotly debated for centuries, with Polynesians now being the most likely race to have sailed there c.400AD. Between 1400-1600AD, the locals carved 887 huge statues called moai out of the solid rock, then transported them to the coast where they faced inland to protect the villagers. It took up to a year to carve them then months to move them, as they were up to 21m high & weighed an average of 14 tons. After this intense moai-building phase, & possibly because there were no more trees left, the "birdman" (Tangata Matau) phase started, with an annual competition to swim to & climb up another small island to collect the 1st bird`s (the migratory sooty tern) egg of the season & return it safely to the Chief, gaining power for the year for that clan.

02 A Whole Family of Moai!

         I had been told about the cheapest hostel on the island, so stayed there, on the dramatic coastline of the only town Hanga Roa. I only had 2 1/2 days, but managed a scuba dive (absolutely freezing, esp as i managed to make my tank last for 59mins when 40 is average!) & a day trip around the island to see the most important sites, including the hugely impressive Ahu Tongaiki of a line of 15 moai, set in a huge platform, an awesome sight from the nearby hill/quarry where the statures were carved. The film " Rapa Nui", directed by Kevin Costner, gives a good account of what we know so far & is shown daily in the town`s hotel, where I saw it! The island is generally rather expensive, as is to be expected from its isolation, but well worth a few days' visit & is totally unique.

03 The Only Kneeling Moai

04 A Volcanic Crater Lake

05 Papa Nui Coastline

06 Taking It Easy...!

07 Ruins of a Village

08 The Birdman Island

09 Church Statue