Driving Easter Island – Day 2
Exploring Easter Island with a rental car gave us a lot of freedom and flexibility. On day one, we saw so many amazing Moai statues, beautiful landscapes, and possibly the best beach ever. I was worried day two would feel like more of the same, that we might get bored or desensitized from seeing so many Moai statues. But we still hadn’t visited the quarry, Rano Raraku, one of only two places we had to pay an entry fee for, so I was looking forward to that as our first stop of the day.
Ahead of the Crowds
Luckily, since we decided to make this our first stop of the day, we were among the first people there and beat the tour groups. We were able to walk around and take pictures of all the Moai statues and heads sticking up out of the ground with very little risk of getting another person in our photos.
One of the first things we noticed was that we could see the group of 15 Moai statues from the quarry. We saw them up close the day before, but from this vantage point, not only could we see the line of them, but we could see the ocean behind them. So amazing!
Odd Heads
Several interesting Moai really stood out because they were a little different from the rest. The halfway buried head so giant I almost didn’t see it because I thought it was just another part of the hill:
And the kneeling Moai:
Not Just a Hat Rack
I’m not sure why I thought I might get tired of seeing Moai. We spent about two hours at Rano Raraku. This place was incredible! They weren’t just heads sticking up out of the ground. These statues had full bodies buried under the earth. They have been there so long that they became semi-covered by grass and dirt on the hillside. I took so many pictures, I had a hard time narrowing it down to this group.
Heading Back to the Beach
We drove around to a few more sites, but eventually the beach was calling to us again. Even the storm clouds rolling in couldn’t keep us away.
We also revised our sand Moai strategy. If we built it laying down, as so many of the statues actually were laying on the ground, maybe we could make it look more realistic. Ok, maybe it was never going to look realistic, but this sand Moai had people stopping to take pictures after we were done.
Unfortunately we had to witness a couple of dogs trample it as we were leaving.
We ended our two day tour exhausted, but it was one of the best experiences of my round the world trip. Easter Island was amazing, and I don’t often say this, but I’d love to go back.
Thanks again to Tamir and Susanne for letting me use a few of their photos for this post!
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August 6, 2012 @ 7:30 PM
Oh my gosh, Ali!! The picture of the Moai lined up in front of the ocean is breathtaking! Well done 🙂
August 6, 2012 @ 10:05 PM
Thanks! We had no idea we would be able to see that from the quarry, so it was a wonderful surprise.
August 6, 2012 @ 10:25 PM
All your photos make me want to go to Easter Island even more than ever! Great photos and awesome post. This series has been one of my favorites of yours!
August 7, 2012 @ 2:58 PM
Thanks Jennifer! I really appreciate that!
August 7, 2012 @ 12:09 PM
These are such great photos! I had no idea the Moai were in so many different positions. Fascinating – I’d love to know more about how they came to be there. Or is it a mystery?
August 7, 2012 @ 3:02 PM
Thanks Andrea! Each Moai on the island is unique. There are a lot of mysteries surrounding the Moai statues, no one is certain why they were built or how they were transported.
August 7, 2012 @ 10:48 PM
I know this sounds a little over-dramatic but your pictures gave me goosebumps! How cool!
August 8, 2012 @ 2:57 PM
Aw, thanks Caanan!
August 8, 2012 @ 3:06 PM
It does look like a beautiful place, and to add those crazy statues makes it something on my radar. Glad to hear it was so good you’d go back!
August 9, 2012 @ 2:26 PM
It was amazing! I hope you make it there one of these days, I think you’ll enjoy it. I kind of hope Andy decides he wants to go so I can go again!
August 8, 2012 @ 3:11 PM
Ah man, they’ve put rails up everywhere! Booo!! Also, I’m surprised they’re charging out at Rano Raraku. When we were there, they only charged out at Orongo. The nice thing though was the all the tours were done by 5PM or so, so you could go up there (we stayed just down the hill from it) after everyone was gone and you had the whole place to yourself. Same thing with Rano Raraku. Can you still walk up the side of the crater there and inside?
Cool cool stuff. Dying to go back!
Dan
August 9, 2012 @ 2:31 PM
Thanks Dan! There weren’t too many rails, and they weren’t really preventing us from anything. We paid for Orongo and Rano Raraku together. I don’t remember how much it was, but it was reasonable, and if they’re using the money to maintain the statues (I hope!) I’m ok with it. We did walk up the side of the crater to where the lake is, but we couldn’t go around to the other side of the lake where we could see more Moai on the hill. Unfortunate, but we still spend 2 hours amazed at this place. I’d love to go back too!
August 8, 2012 @ 11:52 PM
I love the sand Moai! I really wish I could incorporate Easter Island into my S America trip. If you find any spare tickets lying around over there, get in touch!
August 9, 2012 @ 2:34 PM
Thanks! Ha, I wish I did have some extra plane tickets lying around! Flights aren’t cheap, but if you have the chance to go, grab it. Easter Island was amazing!
October 8, 2012 @ 10:28 PM
Great strategy getting to the Moai early to avoid the tourists. Your photos make it look like you have the whole island to yourself. Nice job 🙂
October 9, 2012 @ 2:29 PM
Thanks Mary! It was really great getting ahead of the crowds!
December 13, 2018 @ 2:11 AM
Wow that’s awesome, I had no idea the Moai were in so many different positions and they’re such a huge statue.. I wonder how did they did it and put it in the position… So many questions to ask so many discovered yet still leaving some riddle now. I want to come over to check it.. Thanks for your pictures!
December 13, 2018 @ 4:46 PM
Thanks!