Easter Island - Chile
Hi, I am Carlos Dagnino sharing with our readers, this post on Easter Island - Rapa Nui (as the natives call it), one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Chile my country.
Easter Island, an Eden of volcanoes with their vanguard of cyclopean Moai and mysterious Ahus, has an area of approximately 180 square kilometers and a triangular form, reminding us that it was formed three billion years ago by the activity of three volcanoes: Maunga Terevaca, Rano Kau and Poike Colosó all inactive now, but equally impressive.
Let’s see a bit of the history that this beautiful island keeps
A mixture of amazement, fear and admiration, were the feelings that caught the Dutch admiral Jacob Roggeveen and his men, when faced by stone giants, motionless and impassive, which appeared to look firmly, perhaps even with obstinacy, when their ships slowly approached this singular, solitary island, abandoned in the middle of the Pacific.
The fear did not make them turn away. Roggeveen arrived on the island and immediately became fascinated by the monumental sculptures of over 10 meters high, erected in this strange place he named Easter Island, to commemorate Ressurection Day on Eastern Sunday.
The date was April 5 of 1722. With the arrival of the Dutch Navy started a new story for a hitherto unknown island, which began developing 1.400 years before and finally revealing to the eyes of the West, the massive and mysterious stone sculptures called Moai, still able to dazzle and captivate those who observe.
The monumental figures of the Moai, represent ancestors elevated to the status of gods. These fabulous sculptures stand on huge platforms called Ahu, ceremonial centers scattered around the coasts of the island. The inhabitants of this corner of the planet, called their island o Te Pito Te Henua (navel of the world), the name given to it by King Hotu Matu’a while defining themselves as Rapa Nui, ie , peaceful and hospitable people, nature and status endorsed also by the Spanish (1770), British (1774) and French (1786) fleets when they landed on Easter Island.
In September 9, 1888, this paradise, located at 3,700 kilometers from the Chilean coast, became part of the Country, being at present, under the jurisdiction of the Region of Valparaíso. At that time, the native population, which once had been several thousand, had no more than 180 people, as many had been taken as slaves to the Peruvian Guano Complex.
Time passes. The mystery of the island are many, and proliferating. There are no answers, and thus still catch the attention of the world due to its impressive archaeological heritage and the brightness of its men able to write on a tablet called Rongo Rongo-not yet-decrypted and sculpt statues of several tons of weight and then move them without having knowledge of the wheel.
These are just some of the highlights , because this piece of land is a National Park. Easter Island, which occupies 40% of the area, with almost a thousand Ahus and a hundred Moai , ancient volcanoes, caves and caverns with cave paintings, petroglyphs and an interesting variety of flora and fauna.
The world’s loneliest island is no longer. Now there is Hanga Roa, its only town and Mataveri, the airport, to arriving flights from Santiago becoming one of the main tourist destinations from Chile, because it adds to its countless natural and cultural gems the possibility of developing various adventures.
Anakena and Ovahe beaches.
Anakena beach on Easter Island is located 30 km from Hanga Roa. It is a beautiful, wide beach of white sand, palm trees and turquoise waters. According to legend this was the place where the kings lived with their families. This beach is guarded by seven nostalgic moais restored to their hats. The largest Ahu of this place is known as the Nau Nau, which was restored between 1978 and 1980 by Sergio Rapu.
Ovahe Beach is, located 30 km from Hanga Roa, noted for its red sand at the foot of a cliff of the same color. Seabed and its fauna make it a beautiful place for diving and snorkeling.
Today the island is no longer a distant outpost of the exclusive daring seafarers. Today, it is a bastion for researchers, scientists, anthropologists, and also to travelers and globetrotters. All, in their own way, seek answers to the mystery of Easter Island and its Stone Guards.
