Adventures in Oceania: Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui

We spent last night at a hotel near the Santiago airport, and this morning we flew to Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Rapa Nui is the most remote human-inhabited spot in the world, and the easiest way to reach it is a five hour flight from Santiago.

There is a labour strike at the Santiago airport and so although we boarded our flight without issue, we were significantly delayed taking off. Actually, at first we were told we would be delayed on the tarmac 5 hours! Thankfully, this got revised and we were able to take off earlier than anticipated, and were "only" two hours late arriving in Hanga Roa, the only town on Rapa Nui. 

Our hotel picked us up at the airport and ten minutes later we were checking in. 

Oh, when we were welcomed at the airport we were offered a lei to wear, which was a first for me!

The garden at Chez Maria Goretti is absolutely stunning.

The room, not so much, and I did not bother taking a photo. Anyway, no one comes to Rapa Nui to stay in their hotel room.

We were hungry, so we headed down the road towards the waterfront . . .

. . . past the very interesting cemetery . . .

. . .  and found a nice patio to get a late lunch and enjoy a view of the Pacific. 

After lunch, we walked a little more. We were surprised to see moai all along the waterfront, some lying down, but others upright like this one, Ahu Hotake, for example. They are not the especially impressive ones you see in famous photos, but it is still pretty cool to see them casually as you walk along. 

We made our way further inland eventually and checked out some stores, including buying some snacks, and then looped back around towards our hotel.

At sunset we headed over to the only part of the national park, the Tahia complex, that is in the town and where there are several moai set up. About three hundred years ago all of the moai had been knocked down, and these seven were re-erected in the 1970s. One of them, Ko Te Riku, was resorted with his hat or topknot and eyes--the only moai that has eyes again on the whole island.

Colloquially this is known as the "sunset spot." I took far too many photos, and these are just some of them.

This has to be one of the most magical spots to watch a sunset I have EVER been. And, although it is popular and there were probably a hundred people here, it is very peaceful and mostly everyone is quiet and just soaking in the wonder of it all.

Nearby the "sunset spot" is a lovely restaurant called Te Moai Sunset, and we headed here after the sun had set and enjoyed a lovely seafood meal. I ate a ceviche made mainly from an oceanic vegetable. 

After just a few relaxing and magical hours on Rapa Nui I had forgotten about our flight delay altogether!