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The Moai of Easter Island (video)
recommended by Simon Bradfield
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Simon journeys to Easter Island to discover why the famous stone carvings, the Moai, were built by the island’s earliest inhabitants.
I think it has to be one of the finest things about travel, the fact that you can learn something new, actually take on board entirely new concepts, all whilst making your way through the wider world beyond. Of course, you can read any number of leaflets, guidebooks, pamphlets or blogs, but for me it’s the piece of knowledge you take in when you’re standing there, facing the wonder you’ve travelled so far to see, that sticks with you the most.
The same can also be said if you’re sitting on an aeroplane, knowing you are thousands of miles from anywhere, and you’re heading for one of the most remote places on earth. I remember one particular flight in my travels across the South Pacific, the literature I had before me said that, in the mid eighties, the airport on Easter Island was expanded and improved so that it could be an emergency landing site for the American Space Shuttle.
It felt strangely reassuring, as I looked out of my window at the empty darkness beyond, that NASA would entrust the safety of one of its few spacecraft to this tiny island in the South Pacific. The thought stuck with me as the plane finally came in to land on the remote windswept island, and it lingered as my short time on Rapa Nui began.
Apart from the driving rain, what struck me initially was the size of the place. Easter Island, Rapa Nui, Isla de Pascua... whatever you call it, it is tiny. At around sixty-five square miles, it’s less than half the size of the Isle of Wight. And whilst that island is practically touching the south coast of the UK, Easter Island is truly alone in the vast blue horizon. It sits pretty much halfway between French Polynesia and South America, its closest neighbour is Pitcairn Island, a minuscule outcrop that was the ultimate refuge for the original Bounty mutineers. And it is a place like no other.
For it is the land of the Moai, the great stone guardians of the island. And if you are ever fortunate enough to stand face to face with these global icons, I’m sure you’ll agree it is a unique sensation, akin to wonder and... an odd sense of privilege.
The same can also be said if you’re sitting on an aeroplane, knowing you are thousands of miles from anywhere, and you’re heading for one of the most remote places on earth. I remember one particular flight in my travels across the South Pacific, the literature I had before me said that, in the mid eighties, the airport on Easter Island was expanded and improved so that it could be an emergency landing site for the American Space Shuttle.
It felt strangely reassuring, as I looked out of my window at the empty darkness beyond, that NASA would entrust the safety of one of its few spacecraft to this tiny island in the South Pacific. The thought stuck with me as the plane finally came in to land on the remote windswept island, and it lingered as my short time on Rapa Nui began.
Apart from the driving rain, what struck me initially was the size of the place. Easter Island, Rapa Nui, Isla de Pascua... whatever you call it, it is tiny. At around sixty-five square miles, it’s less than half the size of the Isle of Wight. And whilst that island is practically touching the south coast of the UK, Easter Island is truly alone in the vast blue horizon. It sits pretty much halfway between French Polynesia and South America, its closest neighbour is Pitcairn Island, a minuscule outcrop that was the ultimate refuge for the original Bounty mutineers. And it is a place like no other.
For it is the land of the Moai, the great stone guardians of the island. And if you are ever fortunate enough to stand face to face with these global icons, I’m sure you’ll agree it is a unique sensation, akin to wonder and... an odd sense of privilege.
The Travel Editor Recommends: The Travel Editor recommends a brilliant all-inclusive 5-day photography holiday to Easter Island. Under the expert guidance of professional photographer, Bruce Percy, you will travel around this isolated island learning the ins and outs of outdoor photography while shooting some of the most magical subjects and landscapes in the world.
Useful links
Photography holiday on Easter Island from ResponsibleTravel.com
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