When people say Rapa Nui, few people know that it is the indigenous name for Easter Island. However, the original inhabitants called it "Te Pito o te Henua" - the Navel of the World.
It is one of the most isolated places in the world, more than 3,700 km from South America. The name is also surprising because the island is only 12 kilometers wide! The island was formed in the Pacific Ocean millions of years ago by the fusion of lava from three volcanic cones into a triangular landmass.
Only two planes land here every other day of the week. The airport is located on the outskirts of Hanga Roa, the only settlement on the island, where about 3,800 inhabitants live. It is probably the only village in the world that has an international airport. Otherwise, it is unremarkable - single-storey buildings, many of them made of wood, hotels, restaurants and shops.
The island with low volcanic "loaves" is rocky, almost treeless, covered only with grass and bushes. We set off on a sightseeing tour in a rented off-road vehicle. We see rocky surfaces and stone walls everywhere. We arrive at the first "ahu" - a mound on the coast. There are several lying statues - moai. They are stone colossi about 5 meters high, built on a kind of platform about ½ to 1 meter above the terrain, called an ahu. On
There are about 350 ahu on Easter Island, some with statues, some without. Moai were built by an advanced civilization for unknown reasons about thousands of years ago. On the southern coast of the island is the Rano Raraku crater, rising about 200 meters above the surface of the island - the place where all 600 or so statues were carved. About half of them were completed, transported and erected, the other half remained here in various stages of processing. We walk through a "forest" of several meter high statues, variously inclined and sunk into the ground, but also unfinished, just carved into the massif. From the slope of the crater there is a view of the entire island and also of Ahu Tongariki on the coast, 1 km away. Here, 15 statues are erected on a rocky plateau, reconstructed by Japanese archaeologists. Each statue has a different expression. One even has a red "hat" made of stone - pukao. The statues seem to be watching us. The view of them, with the bay and the roaring sea in the background, is amazing.
On the north coast is the most beautiful beach on the island – Anakena with the most perfect platform – Ahu Nau Nau. The platform is about 70 meters long and 3-4 meters high, made of perfectly worked stones. There are 5 very well-preserved moai here, 4 of which have red pukao hats. We still plan to get to the highest volcano on the island, the 600-meter-high Terevaka crater. We are looking for a way. We climb from the dirt road until it gradually becomes almost impassable. I go down into the terrain, our small SUV jumps along the rocky slope of the volcanic crater in a steep incline. Finally, we are at the top just in time. The last rays illuminate the edge of the meadow covered with grass, we can see the whole island and in the west in a “bloodbath” the Sun sets into the waters of the ocean. Beautiful. I would place the “navel” of the island right here.
In the evening, we enjoy the most amazing dance show I've ever seen at the local natural "theater". Scantily clad, battle-painted dancers whirl around the stage non-stop for over an hour. Wild battle dances with jumps up to a meter high alternate with slower, sexy "Tahitian" swaying of the dancers' hips.
The next day we go to the southwestern tip of the island to the Orongo reserve to the Rano Kau crater. The walls drop sharply into the crater, the bottom of which is covered with swamps forming small lakes. On the northernmost edge of the crater is a restored historical settlement of indigenous people - Orongo. The houses are half buried in the ground with low, only about 50 cm high entrances. There are also several boulders with petroglyphs.
Three days were enough for us to explore the entire island. However, it still remains shrouded in mystery and questions. Why did the natives cut down all the trees on the island, causing an ecological disaster with a lack of water? Why did they fight each other until almost complete destruction? Where did the advanced sculptors go? Why the name "navel of the world", when it is actually a small backwater?
However, despite the initial impression, the end of this small civilization is not so far away. We too often think of ourselves as something special and the center of the world. We plunder nature and fight each other. And so I wonder if a similar future awaits us one day.
About the author
My love of travel was probably instilled in me by my parents, who traveled with us as children wherever the "Iron Curtain" allowed. Later, as a student, I worked as an external guide for the Čedok travel agency. After the borders opened, the world opened up to us and I was able to fully pass on my love of travel to my children. This passion for travel never leaves me and I still say - "it doesn't matter where I am, as long as my ass is shaking on the road". We go to exotic countries to look for new environments, experiences and people. However, the most important thing we can find there is ourselves.
Vladimir Mego
traveler