

The Moai statues The island has an archaeological interest due to the existence of the monumental dimensions of carved figures, the funerary monuments, attributed to earlier native times. Among them are the giant stone statues or Moai, which many times depict ancient gods of the ancient inhabitants of the island, which reach the height of 10 meters, and many of them are incomplete. The oldest statues date back to the 8th century BC. In 1995 UNESCO described the Rapa Nui National Park as area as the World Heritage Site, and next to it there is the location with the largest concentration of Moai on the island. The total amount of these statues all over the island is 887, with 288 successfully transported to their final locations. The enormous effort to build statues of this size and transfer them to the island is truly a mystery, but no one knows exactly why the people of Rapa Nui have undertaken to do so. Most people claim that Moai were created to commemorate ancestors, leaders or other important personalities, yet there is no written or oral historical evidence that confirms what has happened. The Rano Kao crater The Rano Kao crater is huge, steep and full of deep lakes with water and surrounding vegetation. You have to be trained to descend with a helical difficulty the 200 to 300 meters of the almost vertical crater. Anaka Beach At Anaka in the north there is the only accessible beach of the island where you can swim with sandy beaches, tranquil blue-green waters with tropical fish and a coconut forest. Even though the island offers a breathtaking view of the coastline, it is really hard to swim there, due to the cliffs and the huge waves. The Puna Pau crater and the Orongo area A crater that is today a lake is one of the most stunning things you will ever see in your life. A magnificent view, where you see an endless horizon, and nothing else around, is like dot in the middle of nowhere. From Orongo area, young people used to dive and then swimming up to Motu Nui Island through waves and sharks, running and climbing on a steep slope of 300 meters, carrying an egg. Whoever was defeating became the leader. Hanga Roa The only village on the island is Hanga Roa. There is a local museum, which is small. On Sundays, the whole village is gathered and chanting hymns with guitars at the local church. In the market, you can find Polynesian items, jewelry from shells and other local souvenirs.