Leaving Hanga Roa around 9:30 a.m., we head towards the south-east coast of the Island. Our first stop is the Ahu Akahanga or “king's platform”. Legend says that the tomb of Hotu Matua would be near this place. Here you can see four platforms, twelve moai and eight pukaos. Towards the interior of this Ahu you can see one of the best preserved villages on the island.
We continue the excursion until we reach the Rano Raraku volcano and quarry where most of the island's statues were sculpted using the volcanic rock from its slopes. Nearly 400 moai can be seen in various stages of carving. Our journey heads towards the Ahu Tongariki, the largest on the island with fifteen moai. Further on, we find Ahu Te Pito Kura, which has the tallest statue on the island erected in an Ahu, the 10-meter-high Moai Paro. high, 85 tons and a pukao of 11.5 tons. Next to this ceremonial temple is a large spherical stone that is identified as the navel of the world, Te Pito o Te Henua, which, according to legend, was brought to the island by Hotu Matua in his boat.
Next, we will contemplate the Ahu Nau Nau, a temple of complex construction due to its different levels. Here you can see five moai with pukaos and petroglyphs on the backs of the statues. Ending our adventure, we visited the wonderful Anakena beach with a landscape of white coral sands chosen for the arrival of the Ariki Hotu Matua and her sister Avareipua. The name Anakena corresponds to a small cavern in an adjacent ravine.
Return to the Hanga Roa town.