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| Who says we don't have any friends? |
By design our day started quite early. We were up long before the light of day and on the road around 6:30 AM. Our destination was the Tongariki Ahu. on the eastern side of the island, to catch the sunrise. At the present time the sun makes it's appearance around 8:00 AM. Yesterday was actually the June Solstice, marking the start of winter in the southern hemisphere, as well as the shortest amount of daylight of any day in 2019.
Distance wise the drive wasn't very far, only around 10 miles, however it took us around 45 minutes to get there. The roads are pretty bumpy with numerous pot holes. We also had to keep a close eye out for the other biggest hazard for cars and drivers, wild horses. It is estimated that there are over 3,000 of them roaming the island freely. We've seen our fair share as we've explored the island. From the remote hillsides to the busiest street in downtown Hanga Roa, they're everywhere.
There were a steady stream of headlights along the road, all pointed the same direction and all with the same destination as ours in mind. Once we arrived we joined around 150 other hardy souls, 15 moai and a few playful dogs, (there are a lot of them on the island as well) waiting patiently for the first light of day.
Although it was somewhat cloudy, it was still a great show as the dark sky slowly gave way to the rising sun. Everyone seemed to enjoy it so much that most folks, including us, lingered about, taking pictures and capturing the moment in our brains for nearly an hour.
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| The moon over the quarry which is located behind Tongariki |
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| Tongariki Sunrise |
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| This moai is at the entrance to Tongariki. He may look like a loner since he's separated from the other fifteen moai at this site. He's actually known as the "Traveling Moai". Years ago he was loaded on a cargo ship and spent some time on exhibit in Japan. The Japanese government and a private company in Japan showed their appreciation by funding and assisting in renovating and restoring the Tongariki site |
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| There are multiple rainbows everyday. This one was a double for a few minutes |
We then continued exploring the eastern side of the island, making a few stops at points of interest along the way. Our final destination of the morning was Anakena, the only beach on the island that is easily reachable (there is one more but it is very small and difficult to access). Although it isn't very large, Anakena was exceptionally nice. The water was crystal clear and in a protective cove. It was too cold for us, but there were some swimmers who seemed to be enjoying themselves. The sand was a nice off white color, there were picnic tables, restrooms, changing rooms and a restaurant. After relaxing a bit on the sand, we enjoyed a picnic under the shade of numerous palm trees. Once the food was on the table we were quickly joined by about a half dozen chickens that milled about waiting patiently for a few crumbs to come their way. Legend has it that first inhabitants of the island made landfall at Anakena. People will sure go to a lot of effort to find a nice sandy and uncrowded beach!
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| Tongariki is less than a mile from the quarry (Rano Raraku) where the moai were carved. There is more information on this site in a previous blog. |
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| Petroglyph at one of the stops along the way. There is a large tuna at the top. Below him is a shark that is a little more difficult to see. |
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| Te Pito Kura- This collection of stones is sometimes referred to as the "navel of the earth". Some believe that the center stone was laid there by the first island king, Hotu Matu'a and that it possesses a heavy dose of good karma. The small stones are aligned north, south, east and west. |
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| There is just one moai at Te Pito Kura. It is broken and has been left lying down. It is the heaviest one on the island and is one of the few where the name was actually recorded. It is Para and was commissioned by a widow to honor her deceased husband. The topknot (hat) is the large stone on the left. |
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| Anakena! |
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| Nice sand, beautiful water......but too cold for us |
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| Lunch guests.....they didn't seem to mind that we were munching on their cousin, a turkey sandwich |
After resting a bit back at the bungalow we walked the mile or so down to Tahai, the gathering point for sunset, which is currently around 6:30 PM. Here we joined about the same number of people we were with at Tongariki, and a few more playful dogs. There were even a few folks we recognized from the sunrise adventure. Together we put a wrap on what we had started at Tongariki………... a nice tropical day!
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| Sunset at Tahai………. |
