Wandering Lindsays
Not all who wander are lost....but we probably are!
Rapa Nui
Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) is said to be the most remote inhabited island in the world. It is located more than 3500 kms from Chile and over 4000 kms from Tahiti, in the middle of the southeast Pacific Ocean. Any way you approach it, it is a long flight to get there! The current population is just over 5000 people, of which about 60% are indigenous Rapa Nui. The island itself is about 15 miles long and 7 miles across at its widest point. So for such a small island, why the big attraction? One word – Moai!
The island has close to 1000 moai. These iconic monolithic statues were believed to be carved between 1250 A.D. and 1500 A.D. from the compressed volcanic ash of the island and are found dotted throughout the landscape. In several areas, they have been restored and sit in groups atop of traditional altars called ahu. In many places though, they are face down, half-carved or broken in fields shared with horses and cows. The moai are full body statues but it is their oversized heads that they are famous for. As we wandered around the island searching out the scattered moai, we entertained ourselves by speculating about the various expressions on their faces – pensive, calm, amused – each one was quite unique.
Beyond the moai, we really enjoyed the tropical beauty and laid-back vibe of the island. People were friendly and welcoming and animals roamed free everywhere. We had a very cool dog follow us (herd us?) from the main town of Hanga Roa for over an hour to the hilltop ancient village of Orongo. It felt like he was a bit of a spirit protecting us on our hike. Horses and cows roamed around everywhere as well. We had to have our wits about us while driving as you never knew when you would come upon a bunch of horses walking down the road. Somewhat less popular with us were the chickens and roosters….specifically the roosters….at 5:00 a.m. every morning right outside our window! OK, OK, we get it – the sun is coming up. They were like a really annoying snooze alarm! lol
Rapa Nui is also known for some of the clearest water in the world. We took advantage and spent an afternoon diving. We hadn’t been diving in a while so were a little rusty but the good folks at the dive shop were very patient with us (me especially). We enjoyed two dives with exceptional visibility. The second dive was to a sunken moai (who knew?) which has become part of the reef. We saw many kinds of tropical fish, corals and two different kinds of sea turtles. In all a successful afternoon under the water! It also refreshed our interest in diving….when the world is back to a more normal state, we are going to try to do a little more underwater adventuring.
Wandering Lindsays 
Funny, I also had a dog that accompanied me from Tahai to Ana Kakenga Cave, chasing cows along the way, looking back as if to get my approval. He led me directly to the entrance of the cave as if he knew I was going there. From a man you would have suspected that he was hoping for money, but from a dog? Nice pictures, thank you for the post.
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