One of the must-sees on the Polynesian Easter Island is the renowned Ahu Tongariki on the other side of the island at a short distance from Anakena Beach. It is a row of 15 impressive moai elevated on a platform, or ahu in the Rapa Nui native language, and it is one of the famous top sights on the island and an intriguing mystery! Why were they raised, how were they raised and… how did the era collapse?

We are on a 3-day visit to the renowned Easter Island to see the thousand-year-old remains of the aboriginal culture brought to the island from an unknown Polynesian location. In its heyday, it was a dynamic and thriving culture with carvings of gigantic stone figures and other artefacts. The enormous moai sculptures were erected on ahus around the island and played a significant role in the old Rapa Nui culture.

The ancient remains are of uncertain age, though believed to date from between 1000 to 1600. In 1995, UNESCO declared Easter Island and its Rapa Nui National Park a World Heritage Site.

During our visit, we stay in a cabaña in the island capital, Hanga Roa, with a Rapa Nui family, descendants of the ancient moai carving people. Our cabaña is a cosy place with decorations like feather costumes on the wall in the living room. That is the traditional costume of Polynesian origin. Our part of the house includes a small kitchen and two bedrooms. The cabaña is named Cabaña Tongariki after the iconic Ahu Tongariki!

One of the colourful houses around our cabaña | Photo: Travel In Culture

On our second Easter Island day, we are touring the island in our hosts’ four-wheeler. We have been lucky enough to rent a car directly from our local host family, which saves us the trouble of finding a rental car at an agency and at least 25%. Well-known car rentals, such as Hertz or Avis, do not operate on the island.

Since generally no visitor has a rental car waiting upon arrival, it is customary that the hotels or hosts come to pick you up at the airport.

Photo: Lilithy / Pixabay

Already before arriving at Ahu Tongariki, we spot the historic statues in the distance. When approaching, we are pleased to see only a few cars in the parking area. It is a matter of arriving at a quiet time of the day so that you can have the site very much for yourself to take photos! And even better if you can make it at sunrise when the first sunrays magically strike the figures. Unfortunately, we are not that lucky… since today is a pretty cloudy day!

Nevertheless, the view is fascinating. Standing in front of the 15 spectacular moai, we sense the presence of history. The Ahu Tongariki outnumbers all other ahus on the island. Most spectacular are the individual characteristics of the figures. Some are tall, some small, some slim and some more stylised than others. The distinct properties are probably due to different periods and numerous craft groups and models.

Ahu Tongariki on the eastern coast | Photo: Travel In Culture

This ahu is, together with the ahu at Anakena Beach, among the few places on the island where moai have been restored with their red topknot hats. The red volcanic accessories are carved at the quarry of the volcano Puna Pau. Not only is the Ahu Tongariki the largest ceremonial platform on the island, but it is also the most significant structure in the entire Polynesia! The ahu has likely been the religious centre of one of the two big island clans.

Our host tells us later that the clan community on the island still exists. He and his family are members of an island clan of around 1000 Rapa Nui’s. They are politically actively engaged and fight for the rights of the Rapa Nui population on Easter Island.

Photo: Luis Valiente / Pixabay

In recent years, the ahu and its colossal, carved stone figures have undergone restoration. Towards the last years of the moai carving era, the statues ended up on the ground. The reasons have been subject to thorough research and investigations. One theory is that the moai carving culture collapsed due to tribal conflicts and that the fighting clans deliberately turned the moai of the other clan over and down from their ahus.

Recent research contradicts this, stating that the Rapa Nui people were peaceful and interacting people with social skills, helping each other in the small community. They needed to collaborate at a high level to produce the moai monoliths raised around the island. There are indications that the society had a well-functioning sociopolitical structure. Based on these findings, the theory of the collapse has now been revised.

According to a recent documentary about the Rapa Nui ancient culture and its collapse, there are now several theories. The flourishing moai culture may have ended because of a shortage of scarce natural resources on the island due to overexploitation. An abundance of Polynesian rats also seem to have eaten the palm nuts, which caused the palms to die out. A third theory is related to slavery. Slave traders from Peru took in 1862 between 1,500 and 2,000 Rapa Nuis. The few of the survivors who came back brought disease to the island and brought about the downfall of the culture. All but 110 islanders died!

Additionally, the Chilean earthquake in 1960 (with a magnitude of 9.5 on the Richter scale) created a tsunami which stroke Easter Island and significantly devasted the moai structures on the eastern coast. Among others, the Ahu Tongariki, where the moai were scattered up to some hundred meters inland because of the tsunami wave. Some weighed up to 70 tons, so the tsunami forces were immense! It took quite a few years afterwards to renovate the platforms and their moai.

Amazing sculptures in a row | Photo: Travel In Culture

Now that we are standing in front of the impressive megalithic statues, we are overwhelmed by the technique required to raise these giants – not to speak about transporting them to their final spot. What happened in 1960, when the island was hit by a tsunami and the moai at Ahu Tongariki were swept away, has probably reminded the present-day population of what could happen at any time.

Although there were no casualties in 1960 or 2015, people are now prepared for a new tsunami. We see clear signs in the streets of Hanga Roa indicating the direction to evacuate in case of a disaster! The airport building and its parking area are among the more elevated locations, and that was also where people were recommended to gather, for example, in 2015 and 2020.

Photo: Ricardo Vargas / Pixabay

Filled with impressions from the legendary Ahu Tongariki, we continue by car a few kilometres northwards, along the coast road. Idyllic Anakena Beach is one of the few sand beaches on the island – and the biggest one with pristine, white coral sand. The beach is quite paradise-like with its fine sand, crystalline, turquoise waters, coconut palm trees and several restored moai.

Anakena Beach is pretty empty when we arrive – it is off-season! Although it is winter here now, people swim in the sea. It is still around 20 degrees centigrade during the coldest winter month! We have read that due to the unique water and temperature conditions, it is sometimes even possible to observe goldfish swimming around your legs in the water!

Picturesque Anakena Beach | Photo: Travel In Culture

Besides being an ideal place for swimming due to the year-round relatively high sea temperatures, Anakena is also a location for history and native culture. An ahu with five moai rises just behind the beach, making it beautifully postcard-like! A few wild horses between the coconut palms only contribute to the breathtaking scenery.

The pristine sand turns out to be slightly different when I take a closer look. At first glance, it looks like green and blue grains of sand coming from shades of corals or rocks. However, studying it more closely reveals that it is tiny pieces of plastic! When I look around, it is like that everywhere. Since the island has a rocky coastline, the plastics are constantly turned into microplastics when the waves hit the rocks. The sad result is what we now observe on Anakena Beach. It is seemingly an increasing problem on the island and nearly impossible to do anything about once the sand has mixed with microplastic.

Photo: Jose Luis Perez Torres / Pixabay

Between Ahu Tongariki and Anakena Beach, we see some of the Rapa Nui petroglyphs at Papa Vaka. The Rapa Nui term papa means stone, and the term vaka means canoe. Therefore, Papa Vaka is the main motif of a large 12-metre-long double canoe carved on one of the stones. According to some theories, it may depict the canoe originally used by the first settlers to arrive on the island. It is the largest petroglyph found on Easter Island. The people came here to worship. They carved elaborate motifs of giant tuna, canoes, octopuses, crabs, birdmen and sea turtles.

In addition to the fascinating stone carvings, we are thrilled to watch a couple of beautiful birds of prey circling the area. The isolated island is also a paradise for birds and other wildlife!

Hanga Roa neighbourhood | Photo: Travel In Culture

Back in the cabaña, I have a chat with our hosts. She shows me examples of the souvenirs her niece sells to tourists. All kinds of souvenirs, right from fridge magnets to small moai statues and tools with petroglyphs. Copies of the sacred tablets with rongorongo glyphs. Items with religious symbols resembling artefacts were kept and found in the secret caves belonging to the ancient Rapa Nui families. She tells me that today nearly everyone on Easter Island works in tourism. Either you work in hotels and restaurants, work as a guide, have a souvenir shop or rent out your house – as she does. The whole island lives by serving the tourists flying in from Santiago de Chile once a day.

Nevertheless, they still have their traditional culture. That’s what we unexpectedly get to experience Saturday night. We are tired after a whole day of sightseeing and have gone to bed. Then, little by little, our attention is caught by music and songs coming from one of the other houses. It is not the Western music we are used to. It is traditional rhythms and melodious songs. They know how to party!

Read next: Easter Island Moai Statues | Rano Raraku, Rano Kau & Orongo

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