Ten of the original group are headed to Easter Island (or Rapa Nui as the residents prefer) as part of the trip extension offered by Vantage. For some unknown reason they booked 4 of our group on a different flight than the other 6- craziness, but Wladimir was unable to change it. It made for some logistics problems but he made the best of it and arranged for the earlier group to have a local person along to make sure that they ended up on the right flight. That group had to leave the hotel at 3AM. Luckily I was on the later flight so we did not leave until 6:30AM for our scheduled 9:35 AM flight. Wladimir was with our group so we could relax as he worried the details of getting us at the right place at the right time. There was more standing in line to check baggage but it was not nearly as bad as it was in Punta Arenas.

I was surprised to find we were on a new 787 airplane for the 5 hour flight to Rapa Nui. The plane was almost full and I imagine the earlier flight was also full. As some Chileans try to move to Rapa Nui permanently (and they are not wanted, even though the island is controlled by Chile) we had to fill out special forms showing we were only visiting and not trying to move there.

As we exited the plane we knew we were in a tropical environment. It was fairly hot because of the intense sun; there was a pleasant breeze and modest humidity. It felt like Hawaii. We were met at the airport by our local guide, Nico, who gave each of us a lei of local flowers. Nico, we learned is a true native and descendant of the original Rapa Nui people who first came here millennia ago.

Jacob Roggeveen, a Dutch explorer, discovered Easter Island, landing there on April 5, 1722, which happened to be Easter Sunday, thus the name. The next encounter with the rest of the world was in 1770 when the Spanish briefly landed and claimed the land. However they never followed up on it and it was not until Captain James Cook visited the island in 1774 that foreign intervention and influence began to affect the island and its inhabitants. In the 1860s Peru took many of the natives to Peru to work ( as slaves) in their fields. During this period disease and the Peruvian enslavement of  the people decimated the population. By 1877 a census showed only 110 Rapa Nui people remained from a population of 12,000 at its peak. A census taken in 1882 showed there were 155 Rapanui with 68 men, 43 women, 17 boys and 27 girls under the age of 15. In 1863 the island was renamed Rapa Nui (which the locals prefer) although the rest of the world still commonly refers to it as Easter Island. In 1888 Chile claimed the land, signed a treaty with the locals, and has retained control since. The treaty bears similarity with the treaties signed by the US with the Indians- an issue of what the treaty wording really means. As a result there are some bad feelings toward Chile.

The statues we are so familiar with are called “moai”. It is felt these were statues created in memory of deceased chieftains/important persons and were placed overseeing the villages and their descendants as a protector and reminder. It is estimated that they were carved in the period from 1000-1600AD. Initially early explorers reported that the moai were standing on platforms (called ahu) but over time were toppled, likely because of wars between the various clans. Scientists are still trying to understand the history behind these unique structures. Restoration of the 40 some statues standing on platforms once again began in the 1950s. 

Hanga Roa is the main town on the island and 95% of the island’s population live there. Today the population of the island is around 10,000 of which there are about 4000 of true Rapa Nui people (the rest came from the mainland at one time or another). During the peak summer season the population grows to about 20,000 because of visitors like us. Hanga Roa is the only location with electricity, powered by a diesel generator set given to the island by the US in the 1950-1960s when the US maintained a spy station during the Cold War and later built a very large (10,000 ft plus) runway for possible space shuttle recoveries. It was never used for that purpose but allows the large aircraft who now bring tourists to the island. The US also left the people the power generation station, a love for Kentucky whiskey and country music! We heard it playing wherever we went.

The rest of the island is mostly “off the grid”, relying on generators or solar energy for short-term electricity needs. Water comes from rainwater and outhouses are used.  There are no year round streams on the island. The volcanic soil is too porous. It is a throw-back to older, simpler times for the people who live here and they seem to prefer that!  Locals are fighting a desire by some to create a port so cruise ships can visit. Supplies are delivered twice a week by ship or by airplane. When locals go to the mainland they return with packages of many things because prices are high here on the island. The airline allows residents to bring more luggage at no additional cost.

We were delivered to our hotel for the next three nights with the warning that it may not be up to the standards we expect. As it turned out it was not as bad as portrayed. There was hot water for extended periods morning and night. There was an air conditioner that worked and a TV that did not work-only two very  “snowy” channels. The room was immaculate and the bed was comfortable so I had no complaints. It was like a 2 star motel in the US. The setting of the hotel was superb- on the water overlooking the coast. It even had a decent swimming pool.

At 3PM we were taken on a tour of two important sites on the island: Vinapu and Orongo. The ceremonial center of Vinapu includes one of the larger ahu (the platform that held the moai) on Rapa Nui. The ahu exhibits extraordinary stone masonry consisting of large, carefully fitted slabs of basalt. What is unique is that the precision of the blocks making up the ahu resemble greatly those made by the Incas in Peru. Some people feel they came to Rapa Nui at one time and were responsible for building this ahu. The other important artifact here is a moai that resembles the female form, and is only one of two ever found on the island.

From here we went to the nearby complex called Orongo, the remains of a stone village and ceremonial area on the sides of the volcano, Rano Kau (300 meters high with a crater diameter of 1.6 km and a fresh water lagoon 11 meters Medellin), and the site of a famous competition between clans called the “Birdman competition” which was held from the 18th to the mid-19th centuries. Chiefs of the various clans would appoint a “hopu” which would compete on his behalf. They would race down the steep cliff side of Rano Kau, swim to an offshore island and hopefully collect the first eggs of the season of the sooty tern which inhabited the island and return it unbroken  to the mainland.  Needless to say it was a brutal competition and many men died during it.

The finder of the first egg would swim back to present the egg to his sponsor, who then became sacred in the eyes of the people and became “king” for the year, ruling over the other clans during that year. Interestingly he had to shave his head, eyebrows and eyelashes, and go into seclusion for a year. During that time he could not trim his nails,  it his hair, bath himself or cook. Others took care of his needs.  He basically simply slept and ate. We were told that there was also a “virgin” in isolation at the same time,  but I cannot find any reference to that anywhere!  Maybe this competition was the precursor to the modern-day Ironman competition. Once the missionaries arrived in the mid 1800s they convinced the Rapanui to stop the competition.

There are a series of rock huts in Orongo which the contestants occupied as they prepared for the competition. There are also many petroglyphs in the area.

We were back at the hotel for dinner which was served outdoors on the patio as we watched the sunset.

Tomorrow we go on an all day tour of more sites on the island.