Ahu Vaihu

There was no time to waste as we started early and went through lunch finishing about 2:00. Ahu Vaihu is one of the places where the “remote” characteristic of Easter Island, makes more sense. The bay of Hanga Te’e, 10 kilometers away from Hanga Roa, is framed by cliffs where the waves of the ocean break furiously modeling the landscape.

Ahu Akahanga

Ahu Akahanga the fallen Giants: In most destroyed platforms, the statues lie face down with their hidden faces and their turned backs. However, in Ahu Akahanga, the 13 moai, which are between 5 and 7 meters in size, were knocked down both face-up and face-down. This allows to observe better its features and its carving.

It is impressive to see these stone giants in such a vulnerable position, when once they stood proudly on their pedestal. In front of the platform, there are several of the pukao or headdresses of volcanic red scoria that topped the statues. On the right, very close to the shore, there is a fallen moai forward that does not have carved eyes, but has preserved its features very well in spite of erosion.

Rano Raraku

Rano Raraku, moai statue quarry: Walk among giants in the legendary moai statue quarry Rano Raraku. This volcano that was turned into a factory invokes a sense of mystery in an almost surreal way, stronger than any other place at Easter Island. This is the heart of ancient Rapa Nui civilization with hundreds of abandoned moais scattered around. Almost all moai statues were carved here, before being transported to all other corners of the island. Here we see many demonstrations of the incredible skills in statue carving that was reached in the ancient Easter Island society, since we here have the largest and most refined statues of the whole island.

**The GIANT:** Just after the big quarry in the volcano lays the largest statue ever built - The Giant. This monster made by an optimistic group of carvers has a height of 21.75 meters (71 feet) and an estimated weight of 200 tons. It was never finished. When it was abandoned, the carvers were working on making trenches along the sides to detach it from the volcano. It is unclear whether this statue was abandoned because the statue carving era ended, or because the workers simply thought it would be too hard to transport.

Tukuturi, its name, which is usually translated as kneeling moai, actually means “squatting moai”. The statue is unlike any other on the island, since its appearance is much more natural and realistic. The head is rounded, with carved eyes that stare and his chin has a goatee like the kava kava moai. But what sets it apart from the rest, whose carving is interrupted at the waist, is that Tukuturi has the whole body.

Ahu Tongariki

Ahu Tongariki - largest Easter Island monument with 15 moai statues: With its fifteen mighty moai statues, Ahu Tongariki surpasses all other Easter Island ahu platforms and monuments in size. Thanks to Japanese donations, the ahu was restored in the 1990's. Its tallest moai, measuring 9 m, is the heaviest statue to ever have been successfully transported and placed on an ahu, with a weight of 86 tons, measured with the actual crane that performed the restorations.

In 1988, the former Governor Sergio Rapu said in an interview on Japanese television: "We've been dreaming to see the Moai standing. If only we had a crane...". Japanese crane company Tadano then decided to donate an entire crane to the island, as well as tools and expertise. The Japanese government also donated 2 million USD for the project. Thanks to these aids, the whole monument of Ahu Tongariki was restored in 1992 - 1996 under the direction of Chilean archaeologist Claudio Cristino.

Ahu Te Pito Kura

Ahu Te Pito Kura: Ahu Te Pito Kura is the last important archaeological center of importance on the northern shore before reaching Ovahe beach. It is a platform of almost 100 meters (328 feet) in length, formed of great blocks of basaltic rock, worked and adjusted with great artistry to support a single Moai (statue), called Moai o Paro, which, at 9.45 meters (31 feet)in height, was the largest that was ever raised on an Ahu (ceremonial platform)without counting a Pukao (headdress). Around 1840, this colossus was thrown down in tribal conflicts. Around the site, ruins of ancient human settlements can be discerned.

Ahu Anakena

Ahu Anakena: Anakena is the only big tropical sand beach of Rapa Nui. Decorated with palm trees it's a great place to spend a free day. A few small kitchens are on the beach serving BBQ, empanadas, natural fruit juices and alcoholic drinks. Anakena is also known as Haŋa rau o te 'ariki- The bay of the king, named after how the first Rapa Nui king Hotu Matu'adis embarked here a thousand years ago when the island was first populated. This was where king Hotu Matu'a built his first house, and forevermore Anakena remained the sacred land of the royal family.