Easter Island

(Remember that you can click on any image to enlarge it)

Easter Island has to be one of the most interesting places I have ever visited. Why? Because of its remoteness, size, and intrigue.

It is considered one of the most remote, inhabited places on the earth. This the fact that the natives built and placed statues all over the island and their script has never been deciphered all add to its allure. And, it is only 1 mile x 2 miles in size. This means if you go to the highest point, you can see the entire island and anything beyond that is just Pacific Ocean.

You can either get there by boat (2311 miles from the mainland) or by plane, which only goes twice a week (Tues. / Thrs.).

Just love this photo. This was from the first park we visited. Most people don't realize the moai had eyes. And, the moai faced inland - not out to sea.

There aren’t just moai (the heads). There are other statues of interesting figures.

And since you are on an island, you are also surrounded by sea life, which has basically no fear of humans.

End of the first day made for some gorgeous shots. I left our bungalow (a rented house) and had to take some photos.

So, how does one get around on the island? You rent a jeep and drive it. Which we did.We spent the whole day seeing the entire island and all the moai and all the points of interest we could.

First up, the far north end of the island. This is an old volcano crater and where the “bird man” cult took place.

Basically, it was a race where the first person who swam to the little island, got an egg, swam back, climbed the cliff face, all without breaking the egg - their family ruled the island for a year.

The ancient volcano pit Bird-man carvings around the area. One of the places the contestants stayed around the race. The island you had to swim to. More carvings. They are all around the edges of the cliffs.

We then continued south-west to one of the major quarry areas. Along the way we saw some interesting sights.

One of the things most people don’t realize is that the moai were all knocked over. People stood them back up at a later date.

Lots of moai at the quarry. This area made for some awesome shots. If you’ve seen any photos of Easter Island, you’ve probably seen a shot of this area.

This was to be the largest moai. It was never completed. Cool statue at the edge of the quarry.

Next, we continued to head south. Lots more moai…

Very cool view heading away from the quarry. Closer view. And from a different angle. This was interesting. Never found out what it was for. Even moai at the beach You tend to forget that you are in a tropical area.

Next we headed to the highest point on the island. This was toward the center, south of the island.

From this point you can basically see the whole island. No moai here. Really, nothing here - just the view.

Next we head to the south-east end of the island. There were more moai (obviously) and very cool caves.

Classic view This view is the one the island uses for its travel advertising Exploring the caves. A view of the coast from the cave area.

Finally we headed by north. Back to the village area. And an end to the next day.

Probably one of the only birds we saw. Night shot

Our trip came to an end and even the airport had a moai theme.

One of the many moai at the airport A bird-man memorial View leaving the island from the plane.