Easter Island: June 2023: Day 4: Ahu Tongariki

Easter Island

June 2023: Day 4: Ahu Tongariki

Top hats at Vinapu.

The island's diesel storage facility in the background.

One of many partially buried moai.

Very precise constructon at Vinapu.

Rano Kau, an extinct volcano at the southwest corner of Rapa Nui.

Orongo ceremonial village, atop Rano Kau.

Stone houses.

Petroglyphs.

Rano Kau as viewed from Orongo.

Easiest way to the floor of Rano Kau.

The road back to Explora Rapa Nui.

Organic greens, sweet potato chips, lentils, banana, and roasted carrots.

Rapa Nui tuna tartare.

Beef strip roast with pebre, mote wheat, and mint.

Spiced pineapple with basil and lime ice cream.

Ahu One Makihi.

Two of the larger moai (?), at least they felt massive standing right next to them.

More great skies.

Smaller moai greets you at the entrance to Ahu Tongariki.

15 moai at the restored Ahu Tongariki.

Closer-up shot.

Different angle reveals more of the shape and texture.

Walking around the back.

A bird perched on a solitary moai near the road.

Caught some great changes in the light.

All fifteen moai at Ahu Tongariki.

Tonight's wine.

Tuna tartare with avocado and mango.

Octopus with purple sweet potato.

Beef steak with mashed pumpkin.

Asked for medium rare, was more medium. Still quite good.

Mousseline de chocolate.

Spiced pineapple with basil and lime ice cream was not quite the same as lunch.

Checking out Vinapu, this time conveniently located in a rather isolated, very grassy field atop cliffs shared with Rapa Nui's petroleum storage facility. Can't say too much about Vinapu aside from the fact that the unusually precise construction of this ahu caused some speculation by early researchers, and some treasure hunters even blew up part of it.

Next stop was Rano Kau, an extinct volcano at the southwestern corner of the island, with a massive lagoon filling its center. A significant cut in the crater on the ocean side provides a... not easy, but a less-difficult route to not only the crater floor but the ocean side as well. Orongo ceremonial village is on the rim, and has some beautifully preserved houses and petrogylphs. Our guides said this was where many challenges were done between villages, with a heck of a swim offshore by each villages' champion to retrive an egg and back. Of all the experiences on the island this felt among the most human as opposed to historic?

The afternoon stops began with Ahu One Makihi, where you are able to get extremely close to a pair of very tall fallen moai. Seriously able to appreciate a sense of scale here, like on yesterday's Te Ara O Te Moai hike. Highlight of the day was definitely Ahu Tongariki, the site of fifteen (15!) restored moai after a storm wiped damaged them. Managed to catch some rays of sunlight during the visit, making Ahu Tongariki easily the most picturesque site of the trip. The rest of the tourists in the group (including Alicia) managed to enjoy a few snacks back at the van while I lingered to take pictures, but it was worth it!

Food was a bit different today, mixed it up at lunch with a rather nicely done salad and a bone-in beef strip roast to go with the usual tuna tatare that was at both lunch and dinner. Deep fried octopus was a solid dinner addition, although the beef steak was a bit overcooked. Alicia got a fancy mousseline de chocolate for dessert at dinner, while we found that the spiced pineapple with basil and lime ice cream was presented very differently between lunch and dinner.