Moai Tour
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After a nice lunch, that had cats fighting over pieces of chicken, we drove here Ahu Tongariki to see the most famous and largest collection of moai in one place. A Chilean archaeologist, Claudio Cristino, restored them in the 1990s. I understood from the guide that Japan financed this project. The location is, as we saw earlier, right down the coast from Rano Raraku (map) |
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The solitary guardian of this array of moai
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The 'hats' so it is being theorized, may not be hats at all, but depict a sort of hairstyle, a top-knot, where long hair is wrapped around the top of the head. |
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One sad looking character, that's all I have to say. However, I had been yelling at the sky for some sun, and while the rest of the group but two or three had already gone to the bus, I got my sun, briefly, but that's fine. It's more than I had before - and here we are. Below, my favorite shot of this group. The tallest stands 9 m tall. |
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This may be the Rano Raraku volcano, not sure, but seems to be the right direction, with the moai strewn slope in front
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An odd stop. There was a huge moai, so it is said, broken up in the water, and here in a stone circe, compass stones.. |
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Time to go to the beach. This was a busy place, but we didn't go to spend much time here, there were a couple of unusual moai settings here. Remember, moai tour. |
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There were, indeed, moai here. This group and the single, lonely guy. Kind of like me. Just sitting there, hoping for better times to come along (my next trip?). When I checked the markers out indicating an archaeological site, it was stated that there had been once a village here, and the foundations and the moai were all that was left. |
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And finally, let me end my brief journey with this painting that is in the guesthouse breakfast area. I like it very much. |
3D