Easter Island

Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

The nearest populated island to Easter Island is Pitcairn, 2,075 kilometres to the west, where 50 people live. The nearest continent is South America, 3,700 kilometres east. Easter Island covers 163 square kilometres and has about 8,000 residents, mostly in the single town of Hanga Roa. You fly five hours from Santiago to get here. The question of why anyone carved roughly 900 enormous stone figures, transported them across a 160-square-kilometre island without wheels or large animals, and erected them on coastal platforms is one of the more interesting unsolved questions in archaeology, and standing among them makes it more rather than less mysterious.

The moai are the reason to come. They were carved predominantly between 1250 and 1500 CE from the volcanic tuff of the Rano Raraku quarry using basalt tools, by a Polynesian people who called the island Rapa Nui. Most were toppled face-down during a period of civil conflict in the 17th and 18th centuries; several platforms have been restored since.

Where to Go

Ahu Tongariki on the southeastern coast: 15 moai restored to standing position in the 1990s by a Chilean-Japanese archaeological project, facing inland as all moai do, with the Pacific behind them. Sunrise at Ahu Tongariki is the standard photograph and it earns the status. Arrive 30 minutes before first light; the rock colours in the eastern sky with the statues in silhouette are not overrated.

Rano Raraku quarry is where almost all moai were carved. Nearly 400 figures remain here in various states of completion, some buried to their chins in sediment accumulated over centuries. The scale of the operation is visible in a way that photographs don’t convey: this was industrial-scale work. One figure, El Gigante, is 22 metres long and was never completed. The reason the quarry was simply abandoned, moai left mid-work, is unclear.

Ahu Akivi has seven moai that face the ocean rather than inland, which is the anomaly. The facing direction marks it as unusual; the moai generally faced inward toward the communities they were built to represent.

Anakena on the north coast has one of only two sandy beaches on the island, backed by a small group of moai. The sand is brought by prevailing currents; most of the coastline is volcanic rock.

Visiting

A single entrance pass covers all major archaeological sites and costs $80 USD, available at the CONAF office in Hanga Roa or online. The pass is checked at each site. Renting a car or scooter is the practical approach: most sites are 15-30 minutes from town and the bus service is limited. Hire a guide for at least one day; the archaeological context changes the experience substantially.

Do not sit on, climb, or touch the moai. Chilean authorities have increased enforcement in recent years following incidents of tourist-caused damage.

Eating and Staying in Hanga Roa

The town has restaurants ranging from basic lunch spots to a few with proper menus. Tuna and marlin are locally caught and appear on most menus as ceviche or grilled. Po’e, a traditional Polynesian pudding made with banana and cassava, is worth finding at any restaurant that still makes it from scratch rather than from a mix.

Mid-range hotels run around $100-200 per night. Hangaroa Eco Village on the coastal cliff above town charges considerably more and has the best location. Hostal Taura’a is a family-run option at the lower end of the mid-range.

When to Go

February is peak season when the Tapati Rapa Nui festival, the island’s major cultural event, runs for two weeks. Accommodation books out months ahead and prices double. January and March are busy but manageable. April through November is quieter and cheaper; the weather is slightly cooler but generally good.

The island’s remoteness is genuine: if anything goes wrong medically, you are five hours from a mainland hospital. Travel insurance with medical evacuation coverage is not optional here.