Rapa Nui: day 1

On one of my last days in Pucon, another traveler mentioned he was going to Easter Island the following week. Easter Island had been on my radar for some time and I recently learned of my tax return, so knowing someone who was going was the perfect excuse I needed. A couple of days later, I booked my ticket and flew west for six hours. After so many long bus rides, the smooth flight with new movies, complimentary wine, and an intense sunset was such a luxury!

 

On my first full day, I spent the morning hiking to the crater at Ranu Kau. The hike leads you through the entire town and up a steady hill to reveal a massive crater lake inside a volcano.

 

Once upon a time, Rano Kau had a cone top, but an eruption blew off the top and left the crater seen today.

 

It's a beautiful scene but the sheer massive size of the crater is impressive. I tried to take photos with people in the background but they were hard to see!

 

Walking around the crater brought me to the Orongo ceremonial village, headquarters of the bird-cult rituals. Men representing different tribes would swim to Moti Nui, the nearby small island, where seabirds would come to annually nest. The first man to retrieve an egg would see his tribal leader become leader of the entire island population for one year.

 

Houses were low buildings with small interiors and even smaller entryways. Most of daily life took place outside so the houses were just used for sleeping. The houses in Orongo date back to at least the 16th century.

 

Petroglyphs overlooking Moto Nui depict the different birdmen.

 

Hiking back to town, I stopped to see a cave called Ana Kai Tangata.

 

Somehow, I was convinced by fellow travelers to do the one thing that truly scares me: scuba diving. For some reason, the idea of breathing so far under the water's surface just freaks me out. Consequently, I am anxious about running out of oxygen which then makes me take lots of shallow breaths, which then uses up my oxygen faster than if I was breathing normally. While I was not completely at ease, I was much more relaxed diving than I had expected. The scenery was great and I'm glad I went. (Note that the moai pictured here was recently placed here and isn't original to the Rapa Nui. But it's cool anyway.)

 

Another diver was kind enough to share her diving photos.

 

At sunset, I headed to Ahu Tahai to see the moai at sunset. At least sixty other tourists sat with their cameras, snapping away.

 

Fantastic.