We had another good night of sleep and woke to a slightly overcast day. It gets dark very early and light quite late in the morning (around 7:30 am.) Being so close to the equator we thought it would be very warm but it is on the cool side and great for touring ad hiking.
Matua picked us up after breakfast with the same exuberance he exhibited on the first day we met him. He told us he had a good day planned for us and we were excited to get going. There is no way I could explain Matua in writing. He is full of energy and very expressive. He has toured with all nationalities and demonstrated to us different reactions to his tour explanations and had us roaring.
Our first stop of the morning was to the Post office to get our Easter Island stamp. We also had our passports stamped with a Galapagos and Machu Picchu stamp as well.
A big hole in the sidewalk outside the post office. Looks like a great place to break an ankle!
“Rano Kau has a crater lake which is one of the island’s only three natural bodies of fresh water. Most of the volcano is on the coast and has been eroded back to form high sea cliffs which at one point have started to bite into the crater wall. On its northern side, the volcano slopes down to Mataveri International Airport.
Rano Kau is in the world heritage site of Rapa Nui National Park and gives its name to one of the seven sections of the park. The principal archaeological site on Rano Kau is the ruined ceremonial village of Orongo which is located at the point where the sea cliff and inner crater wall converge. One ahu with several moai was recorded on the cliffs at Rano Kau in the 1880s, but had fallen to the beach by the time of the Routledge expedition in 1914. As well as basalt, it contains several other igneous rocks including obsidian (for which it was one of the major sources for the island’s stoneworkers) and pumice. The crater is almost a mile across and has its own micro climate. Sheltered from the winds that dry most of the rest of the island, figs and vines flourish at Rano Kau."
“Orongo is on the edge to the Rano Kau extinct volcano crater, south of the capital Hanga Roa. The volcano has steep cliffs and a small lake in its crater that serves Hanga Roa with water. It is 1km diameter and 280m deep.
This Orongo village consists of 54 houses built from stone slabs, although their design clearly evokes that of hare-vaka (boathouses), common to the rest of the island.
It is believed to have been a ceremonial centre from the 16th century, for the birdman cult and it was used for a few weeks of the year in the spring. Island society left megalithism as their ancestoral, political and religious expression and replaced it for the cult to the Make Make god, closely related to fertility, spring and migratory seabirds.
Due to the spread of Christianity and the illnesses brought by Europeans, less and less locals used the site until it was finally abandoned in the mid 19th century. Restoration work and studies have been conducted in the 1970s and 1980s.
There used to be a basalt moai called Hoa Hakananai'a, that is now on display in the British Museum. Unlike other statues, this one is built from basalt, the hardest material on the island”"
A form of a baby signifying that a baby had been born at this location.
After spending time at the crater and taking in the amazing views we set out for a cave overlooking the ocean. It too was spectacular.
Looking out from the cave was just beautiful!
After a great morning tour we headed back to our hotel. Matua made two more stops before dropping us off for lunch. He was hoping we would get to see some very large sea turtles down by the pier. Luck would have it that there were two swimming near the pier.
‘The two turtles were swimming around and keeping us entertained.
There were some fishermen at the pier who let some girls get into their boat to get a better look at the turtles. The people on the island are so very friendly and kind.
Moai - down the road from our hotel.
This moai have eyes but the eyes of the other moai on the island are located in the museum in town. They were made of coral. and it is believed that the eyes were the last feature to be placed on the moai giving some form of mystical power to the statues.
After lunch we were back out for another tour with Matua. Our travels would not be complete without a cave walk. We had been to a cave earlier but it did no take us underground for any distance.
We began our trip through the cave at this location. As caves go it was a basic cave for us, but fun anyway.
THE EXIT
On the island there is only one set of Moai facing the ocean. In the past we have read that those Moai were facing the ocean to scare away any people wanting to come to or attack the island. Matua stated that was NOT true. He did give us an explanation but cannot recall all that he stated.
Below is an explanation – or folklore. It also shows an excavation of a Moai far below the ground.
Folklore holds that its seven moai represent the seven young explorers that legend says the Polynesian King Hotu Matu'a dispatched from across the seas, probably from the Marquesas Islands, to find this new homeland for him and his people. They are among the few moai that face the sea.
These seven stone giants may well symbolize those seven explorers, but no one knows for sure. Just as no one knows what any of the moai really represent or why only a few of them face the sea.
Although this Moai was excavated years ago it is no longer visible beneath the surface and reburied.
Ahu Vinapu
If size signified importance, Ahu Vinapu was one of the most important ahu on Easter Island. The precisely fitted large basalt cut slabs have perplexed some archaeologists, in particular Thor Heyerdahl. He points to this Inca-like stone ahu as a key indicator to a distinct Peruvian influence on the island. Few experts disagree that the stonework here is more advanced than that of other ahu on the island. Was this the result of an Inca influence on the island, or was it due to years of experience attained by Rapanui stoneworkers? An average slab here is eight by 5.5 feet (2.5 x 1.7meters) and weighs seven tons.
This is the only Ahu (burial platform) on the island that has the precision we saw in Peru where the Incas built their temples. The answer to why this one platform is on Easter Island is still a mystery.
We had one last stop before our tour was complete and that was to a cremation ahu.
It was another great tour and the history and mysteries of Easter Island and the Moai leave many questions unanswered.
Back at the hotel we experienced another spectacular sunset.
Once again we had another gourmet meal and headed back to our rooms to pack for our flight back to Santiago in the morning.
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