NationalGeographicTravellerAustraliaandNewZealandWinter2018

celebrated annually in February during

Tapati Rapa Nui (it translates as Rapa Nui

Week), where families compete in cultural

competitions involving music, sculpture,

sport, body painting, fishing and more.

There is also a world to explore

beneath the waves. There are more

than 150 different species of marine

wildlife in the surrounding waters, with

scientists discovering about 25 per cent

of them are endemic to the Island.

Leave your watch at home on this

journey. Be guided by the sunrise and

sunset as the dramatic colour palette

paints the sky over Ahu Tongariki. Eat

when the incredible aromas of traditional

recipes, such as umu tao (fish, chicken

or pork wrapped in banana leaves and

cooked in hot volcanic stones beneath

the earth), cause your stomach to

rumble. Allow your daily explorations to

take you to the far corners and uncover

the eternal mysteries of Easter Island.

radiocarbon dating, however, suggest
indigenous Easter Islanders, or the Rapa
Nui, landed on this isolated isle in about
400 AD. Originally from Polynesia, they
were close relatives of the Mangarevans,
from the Gambier Islands.
While the local population of ethnically
indigenous Rapa Nui and mainland
South Americans has increased steadily

• particularly during the past 20 years


• it still remains compact, with full-time
  residents numbering just 5,000. The locals
  are wonderfully relaxed and welcoming,
  and make every effort to ensure guests
  enjoy the island’s natural and historical
  experiences. In 1995, UNESCO declared
  it a World Heritage Site.
  The island combines a stunning
  natural landscape, unfettered by

modern development, and clan devotion

by the locals that inspires each day

of exploration. The community is

concentrated in the main harbour

coastal town of Hanga Roa, but it is

the moai most visitors come to see.

They are at once grand and delicate,

stunning in their detail, and mesmerising

in their scale. Clusters of moai, said to

have been carved by hand from the

volcanic quarry between 1400 and 1650

AD, are dotted all over the island and

each tells its own story. It is believed

each one represents the clan leader of

its time, which means no two are alike.

Signature locations on the island

include Ahu Tongariki, home to 15 of the

huge stone sculptures. With a strong

coastal breeze whipping my hair about

my face, I stand motionless staring into

the faces of these deities, curious as to

why they are positioned with backs to

the ocean when other moai face seaward.

As I hike along the stunning coastline,

I meet two moai tilting from the ground

as though laughing at a joke told an aeon

ago. Continuing along the path, I hike

up the volcanic rim of Rano Raraku and

gaze into the caldera and the turquoise

lake within.

As I descend into the subterranean

volcanic arteries known as Ana Te Pahu,

I can’t help but imagine fleeing the slave

traders who ravaged the island in the

mid-nineteenth century, and pray Ahu

Akivi, the seven explorers, will protect

me. The history of the islands’ fauna,

people and events is beautifully etched

into stone petroglyphs here.

As though interloping into the gods’

private sanctuary, I visit Anakena, a beach

of pure white sand, palm trees, azure

waters and an eerie serenity. This is the

location for two of the most significant

archaeological sites: Ahu Ature Huki,

the mystifying and solitary moai with

resplendently carved back tattoos, and

the Ahu Nau Nau, who represent the Miru

clan that founded the Rapa Nui civilisation

during the early Middle Ages.

Here, where the waves are now

crashing, clan heroes of yesteryear

bravely swam in competition around

craggy rocks and through large swell

and shark-infested waters in an annual

festival famously known as the Birdman

Cult Ceremony. A nod to this event is still

wINTER ISSUE 2018 161

AT A GLANCE

EXPLORA EN RAPA NUI

4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS

★★★★★

DEPARTS Daily

TR AVEL ST YLE Independent

HIGHLIGHTS

•   Explora Rapa    Nui,    with    its 30  rooms,

swimming pool and open-air Jacuzzis,

is located in a tranquil spot from which

the island’s mysteries and dramatic

isolation are in full view

•   Its award-winning   architecture

references both the island’s unique

heritage and its vibrant present

•   More    than    20  adventures  that    can

be taken on foot, bicycle or boat allow

guests to discover the island’s unique

history and charm

INCLUSIONS

Three nights’ accommodation in a

Varua room, all meals and beverages,

daily explorations, transfers.

FROM AU$3,070* / NZ$3,299*

*Prices are per person, twin share, based on

low-season travel. Terms and conditions apply.

CONCIERGE