12th November 2014
The Silver Shadow today arrived at Easter Island or Isla de Pascua, a small island in the Pacific administered by Chile despite lying some 2300 miles from her shores. Sometimes called the navel of the world, we have travelled some 1200 miles from Pitcairn Island to get here.
On arrival we were greeted by on the the Silversea expedition vessel, Silver Explorer already lying at anchor and we manoeuvred ourselves into the anchorage position near to her, the town of Hanga Roa having no port (although an airport runs right through it hosting daily flights from the Chilean mainland and a weekly cargo plane).
Easter Island is an open-air archaeological museum most famous for the monolithic statues or Moai, dotted around the island. Settled since the 4th Century, the Polynesian settlers lived in a hierarchical society governed by a King and remained isolated for a long period but the society was marred by violent conflicts.
The Moai themselves formed the basis of a cult of the ancestors and accompanying religious rites. At Ahu Akiva, the seven moai on a platform are thought to represent explorers sent on a reconnaissance mission and therefore face the sea. Other moai face inland and are thought to protect those they oversee. Nearly 900 have been created, averaging at 23 feet tall (7 metres) although the largest stands at 69 feet (21 metres) and weighs about 150 tons! How they were moved from the quarry at the Ranu Raraku volcano remains a mystery.
Some mistake the red round structure atop each head as a hat. It is in fact a top knot of hair. Recent DNA tests have shown the ancient people had red hair.
It’s no wonder this wonderful place was installed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995.
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