Easter Island - October 2008

 

Rano Raraku, the birthplace of the moai. Here is the site where around 95% of the island's moai were created and around 400 moai remain.

Rano Raraku is a volcanic crater and moai can be found both inside and outside the crater.  Many moai were abandoned after the carvers found imperfections in the rock. The largest moai ever created is here, about 70 feet high and weighing around 270 tons, although it was never raised or transported. Many other moai are buried here as the soil erosion slowly covered them.

I found Rano Raraku to be possibly the most fascinating place on Easter Island. With hundreds of moai to see it is possible to spend a long time admiring the work of the people that carved these huge statues. It's also amusing to see the very different expressions on many of the faces of the moai.  Some seem quite stern, others almost amused. There is also the splendour of the crater lake and the views of Tongariki and the coast are spectacular on a good day.

The guided tour of Ranu Raraku was a brief introduction to the area and only allowed time to see a small part of the site.  I revisited the site on my own and took time to explore the inside of the crater where some of the more individual moai statues are found.

There is one unusual moai at Rano Raraku, tukuturi the 'kneeling moai'.  Tukuturi is made from red scoria, not the material from the quarry, and is in a kneeling position. Some think that Tukuturi may represent a woman although the Easter island Foundation says..."Tuku turi" means "squatter". This is the traditional pose for those giving an oral recitation or song. With just a little imagination, we can see an ancient, bearded Rapanui sitting on his heels and rhythmically moving back and forth while reciting an old legend or maybe even reading from a rongorongo tablet.

Although we may never know why the maoi were carved and how they were moved into place, having the opportunity to visit Easter Island and experience its wonders is a rare pleasure.

Rano Raraku crater where the moai were carved

The crater lake

Moai at Rano Raraku, including the most photographed moai on the island

Inside the crater are some very individual looking moai

As you can see each moai has a distinctive  face

This moai is buried up to the head in soil

From inside the crater there are great views of Tongariki

These are the most photographed moai on Easter island

So of course I took lots of photos

Posing with the famous moai

The intriguing 'kneeling moai'