Since the 1950s, many international academic and archaeological groups have come to the island to study and restore the moais to their upright positions. Easter island is a chilean island in the southeastern pacific ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the polynesian triangle. Rapa nui national park wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Below orongo on one side a 300meter barren cliff face drops down to the ocean. One of worlds largest marine parks created off coast of. The north area is connected by unpaved roads, which are in average conditions. The fascination started by watching documentaries with my dad. Rano kau, a volcanic crater at rapa nui national parkdanny bernstein by the 1600s, the moai culture collapsed. Rapa nui s mysterious moai statues stand in silence but speak volumes about the achievements of their creators. Named a unesco world heritage site in 1995, easter island still displays many of the cultural elements of historical polynesia today.
Orongo is a stone village and ceremonial center at the southwestern tip of rapa nui easter island. Easter island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early rapa nui people. The indigenous rapa nui people have regained authority over their ancestral lands and are in charge of the management. The landscape of rapa nui, the indigenous name for easter island, is an eerie exhibit of ancient cultural remnants of an abandoned desertdwelling people. Mau henua, an indigenous group composed of members of the rapa nui community, has an informative video about visiting rapa nui national park. History of rapa nui easter island lonely planet travel. The history of the rapa nui can serve as a cautionary tale for the rest of the world. It has been a literal dream of mine, since i was 15 years old, maybe younger, to visit easter island. Rapa nui national park easter island 2020 all you need to know. For many years, how the moai and the islands native rapa nui people arrived on the island was a topic of heated debate among researchers and anthropologists.
A national park declared in 1935 comprises more than a third of the island, and nearly all the remainder belongs to chile. An easter island tour provides the chance to witness the polynesian customs at first hand and to learn about the tribal history of the island. It is estimated that these figures of stone were built around the year 0 ad. Rapa nui island easter island, pacific ocean chile the silent stone head statues of rapa nui national park aka easter island, which are properly called moai, are a true testimony to the skills and endurance of the ancient seafaring culture that carved them from the islands bedrock. As we grew up, read great books, and watched movies of faraway lands, it ignited an idea. Its history serves as a grim warning about the dangers of unintended ecological devastation, and its colonial history recapitulates the worst practices of that era. What really happened on easter island the mystery of. Rano raraku is in the world heritage site of rapa nui national park and gives its name to one of the seven sections of the park. The easter island foundation was founded in 1989 with the mission.
Rapa nui national park is a national park and unesco world heritage site located on easter. Easter island world heritage site reflections enroute. A guide to easter island, chile national geographic. The ritual was an annual competition to collect the first sooty tern manu tara egg of the season from the islet of motu nui, swim back to rapa nui and climb the sea cliff of rano kau to the clifftop village of orongo. Rapa nui national park easter island 2020 all you need to. Few areas in the world possess a more mystical pull than this tiny speck of land, one of the most isolated places on earth. Dec 31, 2018 rapa nui national park, which spans more than 40 percent of the island, protects and preserves the cultural icons. The island is located in the southeastern pacific ocean, at the southeastern extremity of the polynesian triangle. Today the population can trace their heritage to a mix of settlers and polynesians. The island stands in isolation 1,200 miles 1,900 kilometres east of pitcairn island and 2,200 miles west of chile. Jun, 2018 rapa nuis mysterious moai statues stand in silence but speak volumes about the achievements of their creators. Oct 07, 2012 slowburning challenge to chile on easter island a rapanui man who lives as a squatter in a cave in easter islands national park, land that the islanders say was stolen from their ancestors. The stone blocks, carved into headandtorso figures, average feet 4 meters. Its hard to feel connected to chile, over 3700km to the east, let alone the wider world.
The easter island foundation promoting the conservation and. The peak of the high season is the two first weeks of february during the tapati rapa nui festival. A society of polynesian origin that settled there c. Ancient origins articles related to rapa nui national park in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. Easter island, also known as rapa nui, is a tiny island known for its huge moai statues scattered all over the island the world is fascinated by the creation of these statues not only for the impressive size and quantity of them, but also for the circumstances under which they were built. Its so easy to get confused in all the speculation, history, and mystery of rapa nui.
Rapa nui national park, which has some of the most fascinating and remarkable. Introduced animals, first rats and then sheep, were largely responsible for the islands loss of native flora. Truck driver destroys famous easter island moai statue. Youre allowed one visit to orongo and one visit to rano raraku, though other sites can be visited multiple times, if desired. The rapa nui are the aboriginal polynesian inhabitants of easter island in the pacific ocean. Although they are not in the best conditions, the road connecting hanga roa and anakena is in perfect state. Parque nacional rapa nui travel chile lonely planet. Admire an intriguing tableau of iconic moai sculptures with an experienced archeologist guide. Rapa nui national park is a protected chilean wildlife area located in easter island. We began with a visit to tahai near the coast, where we learned of dr.
Discover the dramatic beauty and rich history of easter island on a captivating fullday tour. Breakfast, wifi, and an airport shuttle are free at this property. Easter island or rapa nui is one of the most attractive places in the world, declared a world heritage site. On the other hand, the entire island was declared a national monument in 1935 and the same was done with the islets adjacent to easter island in 1976. Early settlers called the island te pito o te henua the navel of the world. Photo by frank kehren the haunting, mysterious easter island is a remote island in the middle of the pacific ocean that today, is surprisingly accessible from santiago and tahiti. Easter island night photography tour 2021 national parks.
There is a wooden national park booth before the arrivals hall of the airport where you buy the ticket, valid for your entire stay. It is a territory of chile that lies far off in the pacific ocean, roughly halfway to tahiti. The easternmost polynesian culture, the descendants of the original people of rapa nui easter island make up about 60% of the current rapa nui population and have a significant portion of their population residing in mainland chile. After crossing the wall, you must go to the right to present the ticket in the kiosk of the national park. Named easter island by the dutch explorer jacob roggeveen, who first spied it. Readingmultimediatestrapa nui national park mediawiki. Katherine maria routledge, nee pease, was an english archaeologist and anthropologist who, in 1914, initiated and carried out much of the first true survey of easter island. European diseases and peruvian slave raiding in the 1860s further reduced the rapa nui population, to a low of only 111 inhabitants in 1877. Rapa nuis mysterious moai statues stand in silence but speak volumes about the achievements of their creators. Most of the islands moai are within the boundaries in the national park and have protected status, so. On the other hand, the entire island was declared a national monument in 1935 and the same was done with the islets adjacent to.
Much like easter island, our planets limited natural resources must be consumed in a sustainable fashion if we want it to support life in the longterm. Easter island history, polynesia history, books barnes. Slowburning rebellion against chile on easter island the. Much of the island is protected in the rapa nui national park. Since 1935, most of rapa nui s land and all of its archaeological sites have been protected as a national park thats filled with caves, ahu ceremonial platforms, fallen moai large anthropomorphic statues, village structures and petroglyphs. Mar 19, 2012 rapa nui easter island the terra papers, the ancient star war. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our favorite reads in more than a dozen categories. An unbeatable guide to the diverse landscape, history, and activities in chile and easter island, from touring chilean vineyards and stargazing in the atacama desert, to exploring the glaciers of the torres del paine national park in patagonia and admiring. Most of the main tourism agencies on the island usually operate normally, but some may change their schedules on the 31st and others rest on the first day of the year. Mysteries of the moai and tangata manu wilderness travel. Rapa nui national park is a national park and unescoinscribed world heritage site located on easter island, chile. The introduction of diseases carried by european colonizers and slave raiding devastated the population in the 1800s. The secrets of easter island history smithsonian magazine. The access to the site is on the west side, where the traveler moai is.
For the first time in history, the revenue generated by the national park is invested in the island and used to conserve the. Explore easter island rapa nui holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. Rapa nui is one of the most isolated islands on earth. The indigenous rapa nui people have regained authority over their ancestral lands and are in charge of the management, preservation and protection of their patrimony. An idea that we could visit the worlds most unique, mysterious, and exotic lands. Currently, the rapa nui and the chilean government are focused on preserving and restoring the statues, including denoting an area that includes many of the statues, rapa nui national park, as a world heritage site. Polynesian people most likely settled on easter island sometime between 700 and 1100 ce, and created a thriving and industrious culture as evidenced by the islands numerous enormous stone moai and other artifacts.
After reading several books and countless websites. But, hard facts for serious travelers are hard to come by. On one hand, since 1935 it has been a national park, administered by the national forest service of chile conaf. The isolated rapa nui developed a distinct architectural and artistic culture that weathered the centuries. Even more impressive, the island boasts some 20,000 archaeological sites, making it a dream destination for those interested in culture and history. Come and discover rapa nui national park with our best tour packages. One of the worlds largest marine protection areas has been created off the coast of easter island. Discover the dramatic beauty and rich history of easter island on a captivating fullday tour from hanga roa. Easter island, or rapa nui, has more than 300 megalithic. It consists of a collection of low, sodcovered, windowless, roundwalled buildings with even lower doors positioned on the high southwesterly tip of the large volcanic caldera called rano kau.
The stone blocks, carved into headandtorso figures, average. The archaeological sites belonging to the rapa nui national park can be visited normally on december 31 and january 1 but they will close at 6. Rapa nui national park has paved roads that connect all the south coast. Today, the island is one big open air archaeological park which attracts about 12,000 tourists a month, but mayor pedro pablo. Easter island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early rapa nui people.
Rapa nui national park situated on easter island, this isolated national park is famous for its mysterious moai silent stone figures carved by ancient inhabitants. It also holds 887 giant stone statues or easter island heads, called moai, which are part of the rapa nui national park, an unesco world heritage site. The cores were collected with the support of mau henua rapa nui s community administrating the national park, chiles forest service, the national. Rapa nui national park easter island 2020 all you need. This is a great opportunity to see the different aspects of the rapa nui culture, but to make sure youll find a descent hotel itd be a good idea to book at least six months before arrival. Overuse of natural resources, deforestation underway. Nov 18, 2017 first, rapa nui was rented to a private company for 80 years and, in more recent times, the rapa nui national park home to the famous moai stone heads has been administered from santiago. Mystery and history on easter island princess cruises. Slowburning rebellion against chile on easter island. Rapa nui national park, which has some of the most fascinating and remarkable examples of cultural tradition in the world, includes wellpreserved moai stone monuments, ancient dwellings, and other sites of archaeological significance. Easter island rapa nui is the destination of choice for many travelers who are intrigued by the famous statues, the isolation, and the mysterious history of this island.
The rapa nui national park is now under the administrative control of the ma. It doesnt get any more unique, more mysterious, more exotic than easter island. For the best sight of these stony sculptures, head to ahu tongariki which features 15 moai lined up together. The rapa nui national park has two official protections. Easter island candidate puts selfrule on ballot in chile. The famous moais easter island heads are gigantic rock statues scattered across easter island that make up the main focus of the rapa nui national park. Known as one of the worlds sacred sites, it is most famous for its enigmatic giant stone statues or moai whose. Rapa nui national park easter island moai statues at sunset. Tickets for the rapa nui national park box office of the rapa nui national park at mataveri airport at the entrance to the terminal, on the left, there is a small ticket office belonging to the mau henua corporation where tickets can be purchased to access the rapa nui national park.
Slowburning challenge to chile on easter island a rapanui man who lives as a squatter in a cave in easter islands national park, land that the islanders say was stolen from their ancestors. In 1995, unesco named easter island a world heritage site, with much of the island now protected within rapa nui national park and the indigenous rapa nui people believe the statues embody the spirits of ancestors. History, traditions, texts by steven roger fischer. In 1995, unesco named easter island a world heritage site, with much of the island protected within rapa nui national park. The rapa nui have historically made feather headdresses, bark cloth, wood carvings, and stone carvings. Steven roger fischer offers the first englishlanguage history of easter island in.
Rapa nui, the indigenous name of easter island, bears witness to a unique cultural phenomenon. The island, so lush when the people first landed, was deforested. List of books and articles about easter island online research. Today rapa nui is a protectorate of chile, and most of the island exists as a national park. It is the easternmost outpost of the polynesian island world. Strong cultural coverage gets under the skin of this skinny country including a special feature on wine. The rapa nui national park has been managed by the national forestry corporation since late 1973, a corporation that oversees compliance with the rules on the parks conservation. The easter island foundation promoting the conservation.
Jul 27, 2018 rapa nui, the indigenous name of easter island, bears witness to a unique cultural phenomenon. Rapa nui national park maps unesco world heritage centre. William mulloy, a former professor from the university of wyoming who pioneered efforts to restore many of the moai statues and ahus platforms and ceremonial sites. Lonely planet chile and easter island country travel guide. The stone blocks, carved into headandtorso figures, average feet 4 meters tall and 14 tons. In front of it there is a parking area to leave the vehicles. We thus are presenting what would be a fantastic fiveday vacation on that tiny island in the center of the world. Rapa nui national park national park in easter island. Rapa nui national park unesco world heritage centre. Mar 07, 2020 in 1995, rapa nui national park was designated a unesco world heritage site, and covers most of the island. Ahu tongariki the largest ceremonial platform of easter island. The main town, hanga roa, and the rapa nui national park, which comprises roughly half the island, are two of the best places to experience traditional island life. This title features expanded coverage of patagonia, including new adventure options in puerto natales and more information on chiles crown jewel, torres del paine national park.
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