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Rapa Nui
I dreamt of going to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) since learning about its Moai
Statues many years ago - a lifetime’s dream has been fulfilled - I would have
regretted it, if I had not come here.
The story of Rapa Nui is unique, an isolated small human society’s great
endeavour as well as it’s doom has been encapsulated here. It is unique, that
most of it happened without any external influence. Left alone most of other
societies may have had similar destiny from glory to doom. Offcourse, that
happened even with external interference or influence also - but Rapa Nui is a
unique un-interfered example.
13th November 2003
Arrived in Rapa Nui at noon, one would not believe, without experiencing first
hand, how quiet and peaceful it can be in a small desolate island in the middle
of the Pacific - you can hear every bird, every wave crashing on the reefs and
the slightest ruffle of leaves. Tahiti is also in the middle of pacific - but it
is not alone and so desolate like Rapa Nui - moreover there are so many noisy
tourists in Tahiti and it is so commercialised.
In Easter Island I am staying in a family Guesthouse run by an Easter Islander
couple: Martin and Anita. It is reasonably priced and fantastic; Them, and their
guesthouse were made famous by the Lonely Planet Guide on Easter Island.
In the afternoon, I had my first walkabout, around Hanga Roa. Hanga Roa is the
capital and the only town in the island, where 90% of the four thousand
population live. The town and Mataveri airport is located at the southeast
corner of the island at the foot of Rano Kau volcano.
It is the most desolate inhabited island on the earth. It gives you an eerie
feeling with its MOAI statues, rugged topography, volcanoes, cliffs and ocean,
and wind sweeping it from all directions. It’s simply stupendous.
Although there are many theories, nobody is sure how those massive Moai statues
were cut from single rocks, then moved onto their pedestal all around the
island, all facing inward! - Some believe outer space aliens have done it!
This afternoon I took some sunset photographs of the MOAI statues around the
cliffs at the edge of the town. I think I got quite a few good shots, although
sky and the horizon were filled with scattered band of clouds. I missed a
perfect Pacific sunset on my first day.
Here, near one of the MOAI statues, I met a New Zealander named Scott Lemon,
another vagabond on a world tour in a different trajectory. He has arrived here
last night from Santiago, and coincidentally, was staying at the same guest
house as I am (Martin Y Anita). He has left his job as a database administrator
with Siemens New Zealand to undertake his world tour. We clicked off well and
decided to jointly drive-trek around the island on the next day.
14/10/03 to 18/10/03
On the 14th morning, through Martin we booked a Suzuki four wheeler for the day,
at US$50/day – splitting the cost between us, it became quite economic. Martin
got us a brand new Suzuki from one of his friend or relative (the few thousand
surviving native islanders are all related to each other).
I could feel Martin was slightly disappointed; he was poaching both of us
separately to rent ‘a jeep a piece’ – our joint venture did set a bad precedent
and few other boarders followed suit – cutting Martin’s turnover in this side
business. However, like all other islanders, he is very pleasant and gracious,
and he took every effort to not to show his disappointment.
Rapa Nui has a part paved-part gravel road covering large part of its coast
(except the western corner), along which most of the MOAI statues or their ruins
are located. Rapa Nui was created by three major volcanoes; Rano Aroi the
largest at NE corner, Rano Kau the 2nd largest at the SE corner and the smallest
Puakataki at the western corner, and a number of small ones.
The three major volcanoes initially (about 1 million years ago) were separated
on the surface – later on, volcanic lava flows and erosions filled up those gaps
and gave the present day triangular shape of the island. One major volcano and
its large crater dominate each corner of the triangle.
Scott and me decided to start from southeast corner of the island, north of
Hanga Roa town. Initially we went around a circle taking a wrong turn – stupid
us getting lost in a town with few roads!
In the morning half of the day we drove and stopped to explore each and every
Standing Moai or the ruins along the NE, N, NW and SW coast. We particularly
trekked around Anakena and Ahu Tongariki.
Anakena is believed to be the place where Polynesian ancestors of the Rapa Nui´s
first landed on the island around 500 AD (around same time as the Maori arrival
in New Zealand). Anakena has the only white sand beach and the only remaining
palm trees of the island. The Island is believed to have had abundant palm trees
and other trees like all other pacific islands. But now the island has trees and
vegetation only in the SE corner around Hanga Roa and Rano Kau volcano. Rest of
the island is largely rocky and barren.
– Dominant theory suggests that the island was deforested during the
construction and transportation of the MOAI statues, which led to the collapse
of the island's social order and economy. This eventually led to a
self-destructive civil war over the limited resources, which brought abrupt end
to the Moai construction and destruction of most of its population. It is
believed that the civil/class war was so vicious that most of the Moai ruins
were the results of the retaliatory destructions carried out by the rival
groups.
Anakena have Ahu (ceremonial platform) Nau Nau right at the beachfront. This Ahu
has seven Moai statues, four big one with red stone topknots, and two smaller
one without topknots and the seventh one with half body (probably destroyed
during the civil war or storms). Earlier these were buried in sand and all were
restored in 1980. A separate Ahu at a short distance holds a lone Moai statue,
restored in 1956 as part of an experiment, using the methods believed to be
originally used by the islanders in erecting the statues.
Ahu Tongariki. This most famous Ahu is located in the South western coast of the
island at bay Hotu Iti in front of the Rano Raraku Volcano. The Ahu is the
biggest and most publicized Ahu with 15 Moai statues (largest Concentration).
In this desolate and barren land, the sudden sight of this Ahu and its 15 grim
faced Moais are really awesome – What are they watching over with such grim and
stoic faces?
Facing the Moai is the Rano Raraku volcano, we initially missed the volcano – we
were sort of deceived, the face of the Volcano facing Ahu Tongariki did not
indicate anything – Moais were carved out from a side of the volcano and an
inside face of the crater – not visible from most of the road. We realized this
in the afternoon while talking with another traveller, while exploring the large
crater of the Rano Kau Volcano.
We rushed back to Rano Raraku Volcano – we were simply awestruck – There were
around 370 Moai statues around the face of the volcano, in every conceivable
stage of carving and transportation – an unimaginable scale of enterprise by
such a small society - and as if at a single moment at a single whistle blow,
such a mammoth enterprise of many generations has been abruptly abandoned – as
it is where it is basis.
Without seeing Rano Raraku Volcano site one would not even begin to understand
the story of Rapa Nui and its mystique history – the site is frozen in time,
trying to tell many sagas and the tragic end of an epic.
Light was fading; I must come back again to soak in the sight in an effort to
comprehend it, contemplate it.
On the 15th Scott was sick, I relaxed walking around the town. On the 16th I was
scheduled to leave for Santiago, I was getting a bit distressed that I would
probably miss a return visit to Rano Raraku Quarry. I could not bear that
thought, so I decided to stay two more days and changed my flight for Santiago
to 18th.
On the 16th morning Jenos Simon and Susan Simon, an Australian couple arrived at
Martin and Anita, they were staying at a room next to mine. Very quickly we got
friendly – particularly Hungarian born, soft spoken Jenos is an inspiration – he
is a freelance environmental consultant, an avid eco traveller (walked 370km
across Alps).
Scott was still sick and Jenos and Susan were getting to know the town, so I
went off alone, trekking for five hours to see Ahu Akivi, the 7 Moai Statues on
a platform. This is the only Ahu located inland, with all its Moais facing
seaward – another twist in the mystique of Rapa Nui. The dominant theory
suggests that it was built at the last stage of the Moai enterprise by the last
reigning chief, before the civil war broke out. It was a very exhausting and
taxing five-hour trek for a smoker like me over the rolling volcanic rocks.
That evening we all had dinner together, I tasted some traditional Island dish
(raw fish marinated in lime), It did not taste like raw fish at all, more like
Sushi, although tasted different. At the dinner, Simons and me decided to
jointly rent a four-wheeler next day to see and shoot sunrise at Tongariki (15
Moai) and later on to revisit Rano Raraku volcano (the Quarry).
Next day we arrived at Ahu Tongariki around 6am in the morning – we had a cloudy
sunrise, but I think I got few good shots of the 15 Moai´s with a rising sun
behind them.
In the afternoon we went back to Rano Raraku volcano (the Quarry). We went all
over it including the rim of the crater and part of the inside face, another
site of the Moai carving with scattered Moais at various stages of carving and
transportation – as in the one of the outer faces. Steady and super fit Jenos
continued to the apex, I did not - one guy was even circumventing the whole rim
of the crater along the rocky top edge.
Along the way, I just sat in many spots just to contemplate the frozen history –
What happened here, why all these ended so abruptly?
On the 18th morning Scott and me said good-bye to Jenos, Susan, Anita, Martin
and few other acquaintances and left for Santiago in a mid day flight. After a
four hour flight we arrived in Santiago around 9:00 PM, and bade farewell to
Scott, who will catch an onward flight to Buenos Aires.
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