We ended our first tour day at Orongo, which is a point at the southwest tip of the island where the Rapa Nui would host the "Bird Man" competition. In this competition, each tribe/family/clan would delegate a participant. The competitors had to swim from the island using a boogieboard-ish thing to this island where black terns come to nest each spring. The competitors would stay on the island for days or even weeks until the Terns started laying eggs. The competitors would steal an egg, put it in a little pocket that was woven into a special headband, swim back, then in their probably very weakened state, climb a huge cliff to the top. Whichever got back first with the egg intact won, with the prize being the biggest house, extra food, bragging rights, etc. The pic below shows the island, Motu Nui, they have to swim to.
While the participants are waiting/surviving on the rock, the families of the participants would move into these tiny, little stone bungalows overlooking the ocean and the bird island. Tourists aren't allowed to go inside the houses, but I can imagine they are dark and damp. But, at least they are protected from the elements on the cliffside.
Also from this same area, a moai had been uncovered that is currently living in the British Museum. This moai has carvings or petroglyphs that show scenes from the Birdman competition. The Birdman competition came about a bit later after the moai were carved, so this moai was likely relocated to the ceremonial village of Orongo and the carvings added later. I find it amazing how much better condition are the moai that were buried left underground. It's amazing what weather can do to exposed rock over time.
This is the spot where the moai was discovered. Drew and I have a goal to visit our friends Andrew and Corey in London to see this moai at the British Museum to complete the circle.
On the other side of the point that Orongo perches on is a huge volcano crater, called Rano Kau. The natural beauty of the island is stunning.
The day after the tour, we had our best weather day, so we went to Anakena Beach. It was GORGEOUS: super soft sand, gentle waves, warm water, palm trees, and an ahu with moai in the background. We stayed there all day and went back one other day because we loved it so much. I would fly to Rapa Nui again simply to go to this beach. Now granted, we were visiting during the off season, but this is literally the only white sand beach on the island, and it was a Saturday with perfect weather, and it wasn't crowded whatsoever. There are also restaurants and bathrooms by the parking lot, so you can have as much or as little convenience as needed.
We ended our beach day by going to a Cultural Show that was being put on for El Dia de Patrimonio, which is a Chilean cultural weekend. What it meant on Rapa Nui was a body painting and poetry recitation competition. The competition began with a blessing by a Rapa Nui elder, then a buffet of Rapa Nui traditional foods that was super yummy, then a few songs and dances by a Rapa Nui group. For the body painting competition, they used traditional techniques that mimicked the carvings on the moai, then recited a poem in Rapa Nui. The boys were falling asleep by the halfway point, so we left then, but overall it was super cool, and I'm so glad we went.
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