Last Updated: 29-NOV-2019
DAILY WRITE UP - Easter Island. We had a 5.5 hr flight from Santiago to Easter Island. It was funny as the airport was very small (more on that) and a chubby half naked guy was singing in the airport and we would see more of him later (too much in fact). We got here late in the day and visited the Tahai ceremonial complex restored by William Mulloy between 1968 and 1972. We learned that most all of the heads (Moai) were knocked over by earthquakes, tribal fighting and other issues. These were all made between 1250 and 1500.
Easter island is very small. And Hanga Roa is the main town, harbor and capital of the Chilean province of Easter Island. It is located in the southern part of the island's west coast, in the lowlands between the extinct volcanoes of Terevaka and Rano Kau. The actual hotel capacity is about 600 beds and the lodging offer goes from little hostels and luxury hotels. We stayed at Hotel Otai which was a bit dated but worked out.
The cell phone system / WIFI was really bad here. I was lucky as I seemed to be able to connect but at very low speeds.
I did not use the GPS tracker today due to short trips.
ROAD SCHOLAR WRITEUP -- Fly Santiago to Easter Island, Moai of Rapa Nui
Easter Island
B,L,D
Hotel Otai
Activity note: Early rise for airport transfer; approx. 11 miles to airport; about 1/2 hour. Flight from Santiago to Rapa Nui is approx. six hours. Due to a change in time zone, we will lose two hours. Getting on/off the bus for field trips; driving approximately 3.5 miles for Tahai field trip; about 1/2 hour, with stops. Walking approx. 1/2 mile total for the day; uneven and unpaved walking paths, limited shade; periods of standing during field trip locations.
Breakfast: Aboard the motor-coach during transfer to the airport, we will have boxed breakfasts provided by the hotel.
Morning: Rising early, we will board our motor-coach for transfer to Santiago Airport for the flight to Easter Island. Once landed, we will transfer to the hotel via motor-coach and check in.
Lunch: At the hotel, we will have a light plated lunch with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.
Afternoon: After some time to rest, we will set out by bus for field study of Tahai as an introduction to the famous monoliths of Rapa Nui. "Moai" is from the Rapanui language and means statue, or figurine. Ahu has two meanings in Easter Island culture: The first is the flat base of the stone where the moai are supported, and the second is a sacred ceremonial place where there are numerous supports for the moai. Our first stop will be at Ahu Vai Ure, which is topped by five moai including Ahu Tahai (680 CE), Ahu Ko te Riku (12th century CE), and a 15.5-foot high 20 ton moai, which is topped by a pukao (red scoria top knot). These three ahu, all facing inland, are part of one ceremonial compound, which was restored in the 1960s by the late archaeologist, William Mulloy. Located near Hangaroa at the edge of the ocean, the area also has excellent examples of hare paenga (boat-shaped house foundations), hare moa (chicken houses), umu (earth ovens), occupation caves, and a boat ramp. The road along this coast is rough, but there are many ahu in this section of the island. At Hanga Kio`e, a small bay just past town, we will see two more ahu restored by Mulloy. Ahu #1, is surmounted by a small moai, and Ahu #2 has a fragment of a statue. They were part of a larger site that includes Ahu Akapu with its solitary moai. The wall of Ahu Akapu originally reached to Ahu #2. Dr. Mulloy's gravesite is also located at Tahai.
Dinner: At a local restaurant, we will enjoy plated meals featuring local ingredients. Coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Evening: We will then return to the hotel for the remainder of the evening at leisure.
It's a 2,300 mile run across water from the coast of Chile to Easter Island. As a comparison its appx. 2,400 miles from the coast of California near LA to the big island Hawaii.
Looks a bit choppy so I hope we make it.
The coast of Antarctica is only 3,200 miles away
On LATAM again. Nice new 777
Getting off the plane the old fashioned way.
To say that this airport was small is a understatement. Entering Terminal Mataveri International Airport, Isla de Pascua. They have two gates.
The location of our hotel. We got in late so only had time to check out one of the sites near town.
The Tahai Ceremonial Complex is an archaeological site on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in Chilean Polynesia. Restored in 1974 by the late Dr. William Mulloy, an American archaeologist, Tahai comprises three principal ahu from north to south: Ko Te Riku (with restored eyes), Tahai, and Vai Ure. Visible in the distance from Tahai are two restored ahu at Hanga Kio'e, projects that Mulloy undertook in 1972. Like other Mulloy restoration projects at Ahu Akivi, the ceremonial village of Orongo and Vinapu, the ceremonial center at Tahai now constitutes an integral part of the Rapa Nui National Park, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
Not sure what the story is with this guy
Ahu Ko Te Riku is the only moai on Easter Island that has had its eyes restored to how they probably originally appeared. The eyes are obsidian.
On the north side of Ahu Tahai is Ahu Ko Te Riku, with a topknotted and eyeballed moai. The topknot looks like a large red hat but it is actually supposed to represent hair piled on the head. The topknots were added to the moai later.
All of the moai topknots come from Puna Pau. This is because Puna Pau is the red stone quarry of red volcanic scoria which has the most intense red color, giving a more intense visual appearance once on top of the moai. The Rapu Nui likely choose the scoria because it is soft and easy to carve; its intense red color symbolic of spiritual strength.
The MS Island Sky is one of our three flag ships and sister vessel to the MS Caledonian Sky and MS Hebridean Sky. All three vessels were built in the same ship yard in Italy at similar times and share the same excellent attributes that make them three of the finest small ships in the world.
William Thomas Mulloy, Jr. (1917-1978) was an American anthropologist. While his early research established him as a formidable scholar and skillful fieldwork supervisor in the province of North American Plains archaeology, he is best known for his studies of Polynesian prehistory, especially his investigations into the production, transportation and erection of the monumental statuary on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) known as moai.
In 1955, following his famous Kon-Tiki Expedition (1947), the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl assembled a team of specialists to conduct archaeological research at various sites throughout Eastern Polynesia. Acting on the recommendation of Dr. H. Marie Wormington, Heyerdahl invited Mulloy to participate in the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition (1955-56). In Panama, Mulloy joined Arne Skjolsvold, of the University of Oslo, Carlyle S. Smith, of the University of Kansas, Edwin N. Ferdon, Jr., of the Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona, and Gonzalo Figueroa Garcia-Huidobro of the University of Chile aboard the Christian Bjelland, a chartered Norwegian ship. Apart from Rapa Nui, the team of archaeologists visited Rapa Iti, Tubuai, and Ra'ivavae in the Austral Islands, as well as Hiva 'Oa and Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands during their ten-month tour. Together with his colleagues, Mulloy began preliminary investigations of the little-known archaeological sites of Rapa Nui. The international research staff that Heyerdahl brought together subsequently published the results of their investigations in Volume I of The Archaeology of Easter Island (1961).
We went to dinner at Restaurant Kuki Varua which was just down the street from our hotel
Had some of the Chile beer and it was very good. Then again we were hungry and thirsty.
Cloudy and chilly first sunset over the south Pacific ocean from the Caleta Hanga Roa
One of the first realizations one has about Easter Island is, it's not an archipelago. There are no other islands surrounding it. No, in all directions there is nothing but empty ocean for greater distances than from any other inhabited island on Earth. Easter Island is the ultimate island.
Unknown statue
Estadio Municipal de Hanga Roa - With capacity for 1,214 spectators. In 2009 the so-called Game of the century was played in Rapa Nui, when the selection of the Island faced the current champion of the Chilean professional league, Colo-Colo, for the Chile Cup 2009. The meeting was broadcast on satellite television to various countries and ended with the victory of the Santiago team by 4 to 0.
On the plane we were talking about doing this. In the end the possible night we were at an AWFUL Te Ra`ai restaurant traditional dinner (more on that later)
On to Day 11 - Easter Island - Field Studies at Ahu Vinapu, Tongariki & Anakena
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