We had been very keen to visit Easter Island while we were living in Santiago, Chile which is about as close as you can get to this very isolated and difficult to reach place. Easter Island is about halfway between Santiago, Chile and Tahiti in the South Pacific. Award space from Santiago, Chile to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) has been historically bad and was pretty difficult to find, so we waited for a cash deal and found business class tickets on a great plane (787 Dreamliner with lay-flat seats in business class) for $531 round trip right around Christmas. The flight is just over 5 hours in both directions, so it is good to have a bit of comfort. Cody's parents came down to Chile to visit and made the trip over to Easter Island with the 6 of us. We spent an amazing 4 days exploring the island, the beaches, the caves, and checking out all the Moai statues. There are some truly unique places on this small island.
The belief is that the Polynesian inhabitants of the island arrived around 1200 AD and had an industrious culture (as evidenced by the enormous stone moai statues). The Europeans (Dutch) arrived to the island in 1722 and named the island "Easter Island" because they arrived on Easter Sunday. The Polynesian name of the island is "Rapa Nui" which means Big Rapa (it is believed that the island was originally called Rapa). Chile annexed the island in 1888 and began to call the island by its (translated into Spanish) European name, "Isla de Pascua." The phrase "te pito o te henua" is also said to be the original name of the island, which means "the navel of the world."
Perhaps the most strange/interesting thing about the island is the moai statues. Most scholars believe that the moai were created to honor ancestors, chiefs, or other people, but there is really not much written or oral history on the island, so it's impossible to know for sure. Most of the settlements on the island are on the coast and most moai were built along the coastline with their backs to the sea and looking at the settlements (it is believed that this represents those that have died looking back on us to watch over us with their backs facing the spirit world, which is the sea).
The kids looking down into the crater at Rano Kau, a tall extinct volcano on the southwest of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The crater is about a mile across and has it's own micro-climate.
Panoramic view of Rano Kau on the southwest of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Close up view of the crater lake on Rano Kau on the southwest of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The kids on the edge of the crater at Rano Kau on the southwest of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Grandpa Scott and grandma Toni at the edge of the crater at Rano Kau on the southwest of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Rano Kau on the southwest of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) with the Pacific Ocean in the background.
Cody, Eliza, and Scott on the edge of Rano Kau on the southwest of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Beginning in the 1500's, the Rapa Nui allegedly began transitioning from ancestor worship to respect/deification of the living and those with "god-like" characteristics. They believed that through a competition they could determine which among them was worthy to communicate to the gods. In the 1700's they began the competitions for Bird Man "tangata manu" which continued through to 1878. The competition was an annual ritual to see which man could collect the first egg of the season from the small island of Motu Nui and swim back to Rapa Nui and climb the sea cliff of Rano Kau to the clifftop village of Orongo.
Looking out on the small island of Motu Nui where the annual Bird Man competition used to take place on Easter Island.
Looking out on the small island of Motu Nui where the annual Bird Man competition used to take place on Easter Island.
Bird Man trophy.
Kids on the edge of Rano Kau on the southwest of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Rano Kau on the southwest of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Clifftop village of Orongo with the island of Motu Nui in the background atop the southwest part of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Sawyer pointing to Motu Nui, where the Bird Man competitions took place on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The island of Motu Nui, where the Bird Man competitions took place on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Clifftop village of Orongo with the island of Motu Nui in the background atop the southwest part of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Nobody comes to Easter Island without wanting to get up close and personal with the moai statues. These moai are thought to be the faces of deified ancestors of the Rapa Nui people. We spent a lot of time checking these things out. The 2 main areas for the moai (and our 2 favorite) were Rano Raraku and Ahu Tonjariki.
Rano Raraku is a volcanic crater located on the central part of the island and is where the majority (nearly all) of the moai were carved out and then transported to various places on the island. There are still many moai that are incomplete and have never been finished in Rano Raraku.
In Ahu Tonjariki there are 15 moai standing in a row with their backs to the ocean. This was one of our favorite places on the island.
The moai at Ahu Tonjariki on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Sawyer, doing backflips at Ahu Tonjariki on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Our crew standing in a row at Ahu Tonjariki on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Family picture at Ahu Tonjariki on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Double piggy back with Cody, Sawyer, and Zander at Ahu Tonjariki on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Double piggy back with Cody, Ryder, and Nash at Ahu Tonjariki on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Our family at Ahu Tonjariki on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Family picture at Ahu Tonjariki on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Side view of Ahu Tonjariki on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Ahu Tonjariki on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Family pyramid at Ahu Tonjariki on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Of course, we had to have some beach time at this beach island in the Pacific Ocean. There were not a lot of great beach spots on the island, but we did find a couple areas around Anakena beach to take in some sunshine and get in the ocean. We picked the right days to do it as our trip was mostly overcast conditions. We enjoyed playing on the beach and actually built some moai out of sand while we were there.
Board walk out to Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The kids at Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody's sand moai at Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Toni's moai at Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Toni's 2nd moai at Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody and Eliza at Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) with our sand moai sculptures.
Toni, with her 2 moai sand sculptures at Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody, with his moai sand sculpture at Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Zander, playing at Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Nash, at Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The moai at Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Our crew after a day of playing at Anakena beach on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
During the trip, Cody and Scott snuck away for a couple scuba dives to check out the surrounding reefs and wildlife. The first of these was the Acantilado dive, just a short way off the main dive port in town. We had a great time and saw some cool, colorful fish out in the crystal blue waters.
Cody and Scott getting ready to go scuba diving off of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody and Scott, ready to go scuba diving off of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Fish and sea urchins on the Acantilado dive off of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Diving the steep walls and reefs along the Acantilado off of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody and Scott on the reef of Acantilado off of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody and Scott, exploring the reef of Acantilado off of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Beautiful coral reef off Acantilado off of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody and Scott, exploring the reef of Acantilado off of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Swimming along the edge of the coral reef at Acantilado off of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Easter Island has a lot of caves and we were fortunate enough to explore a few of them. We had brought our headlamps from Santiago, so we would be able to check some of the caves out. There were some really long and expansive ones where we had to avoid stepping through deep water in some parts. The kids really enjoyed exploring some of these amazing structures.
Grandma Toni and the boys at the entrance to a small cave in Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The kids deep inside one of the caves on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Deep inside one of the one of the caves on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) we found this tree growing up through a hole towards the sunlight.
Tree growing up through a hole towards the sunlight in one of the caves on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody and the kids exploring one of the many caves on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Scott, coming out of one of the long caves on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
We came to this cliff lookout towards the ocean in one of the caves on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Entrance to an expansive network of caves on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Our crew outside a small cave on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Kids, with their headlamps on, trying to avoid stepping in the water in one of the caves on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Scott and Cody headed out early one morning to do another scuba dive. This time they went to see the sunken moai off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Unfortunately, there is no cool story to explain why there is a sunken moai off the coast of Rapa Nui...basically, they just put one there for tourism and for divers to have something to do. There is not a whole lot of large fish or underwater wildlife in the area, but the coral reefs were amazing as were the small, colorful fish that lived in them. We thought the sunken moai was pretty cool though and definitely worth the journey to get the picture to add to the collection.
Cody and Scott diving around the reef at the sunken moai dive off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The "sunken moai" in the distance through the reef off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
View of the "sunken moai" off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The crystal blue waters off the reef at the sunken moai dive off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody, and Scott diving around the sunken moai off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody hanging loose with the sunken moai off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
An abandoned anchor and a colorful trumpet fish on the reef at the sunken moai dive off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody, swimming above the reef at the sunken moai dive off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Beautiful fish on the reef at the sunken moai dive off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Cody and Scott, coming up on the reef at the sunken moai dive off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Fish on the reef at the sunken moai dive off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Fish on the reef at the sunken moai dive off the coast of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Video of Cody and Scott scuba diving around the sunken Moai at Rapa Nui Island, Chile.
Video of a trumpet fish on the sunken Moai at Rapa Nui Island, Chile.
We had several days to wander around Rapa Nui and check out all of the other moai, coastline, and other cool things to see on the island. We rented a van, but saw others who had rented ATVs. We decided against that due to the size of our group and the fact that it was overcast (and sometimes rainy) while we were there. We don't regret our decision. With a van, we were able to quickly get around the island multiple times and go at our own pace. This was an amazing trip full of adventure with the highlights being the scuba diving, caving, beaches, and just checking out the strange history and cultural remnants of the Rapa Nui people. 4 days was plenty to see everything there is to see on the island. This ended up being one of our best vacations, even though it was just a short one. We headed back to Santiago, Chile on Christmas Eve to arrive at the house before Santa Claus.
Toni and Eliza at the moai statues near the main village.
The kids, posing like the moai statues.
Eliza and the kids, at the edge of the quarry in Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The moai always face inland with the exception of the ones at Ahu Akivi where they face the sea. At Ahu Akivi the seven identical moai exactly face sunset during the Spring Equinox and have their backs exactly at the sunset during the fall Equinox. This is the only place on the island where there is such astronomical precision.
The boys, balancing on poles near the beach in Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The boys at a monument on the beach in Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
A dead moai statue near the beach at Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Broken up moai in Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Kids, throwing rocks into the ocean in Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
A moai on the outskirts of the main quarry at Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The main quarry of moai at Rano Raraku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
A different quarry where the tops of the moai were cut in Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
One of the many places to see moai on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Grandpa Scott and grandma Toni with one of the moai (with white eyes) on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The quarry at Rano Raraku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) where the moai were cut from the volcano.
Cody and the boys at Rano Raraku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) where the moai were cut from the volcano.
Cody and Eliza in front of a moai that never got removed from the quarry at Rano Raraku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) where most of the moai were cut from the volcano.
The quarry at Rano Raraku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) where the moai were cut from the volcano.
Family picture at Rano Raraku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) where the moai were cut from the volcano.
The quarry at Rano Raraku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) where the moai were cut from the volcano.
The quarry at Rano Raraku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) where the moai were cut from the volcano.
Sawyer, Cody, and Ryder around the volcano from the quarry at Rano Raraku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) where the moai were cut from the volcano.
One of the days when we were in town, it began to rain. The locals told us there were a bunch of turtles that hung out in the main harbor, so we decided to throw on our snorkels and check them out. There were about 7 huge turtles in the harbor that we chased around for a while. One of the other cool things we witnessed was 2 local boys baiting fish in the harbor and then plucking them straight out of the harbor with their bare hands. The kids must have been like 8-10 years old. Our kids were fascinated by the creativity and skill of these 2 boys.
Cody, with 2 fish that a couple local boys grabbed from the harbor with their bare hands after baiting them with bread at Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Zander, holding a spiky puffer fish that a couple of local boys grabbed from the harbor in Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The kids, snorkeling in the harbor and checking out the giant turtles in Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
The kids after snorkeling in the rain in Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
Video of Ryder, snorkeling in the harbor with the turtles at Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
