I was up just before sunrise and the island was visible off our port side. I could see the lights of another ship already anchored in the bay at Hanga roa, the largest town. Easter Island gets about 15 ships per year and as luck would have it, we happened to be there at the same time as the Saga Rose, the ship that passed through the Panama canal with us. Because the other ship had acted first, all the islands tour buses were fully booked for the morning and Princess passengers had all their tours in the afternoon, the hottest time of day, fortunately we had booked a private excursion. We caught the first tender over to the dock and Josephina of Haumaka Tours was waiting, as arranged, holding a sign with our name on it.
After introductions, we were quickly on our way in a comfortable 4x4 Suzuki to our first stop the volcano of Rano Raraku. The drive across the island reminded us of Scotland, narrow roads surrounded by mostly rough grass terrain, rocks and occasional trees. One difference from Scotland was the number of wild horses who seemed to prefer the roadway to the grass, they frequently looked underfed, many with ribs clearly visible and later we did see the bones of one of the poor creatures close to the roadway.
From the volcanic rock of Rano Raraku 95 percent of all the statues on the island were carved and it must have been quite an undertaking, many times they were removed from the sheer face of the mountain, requiring a long descent down the slope of a stone weighing several tons. The area is beautifully maintained and we were fortunate to have near perfect weather, clear blue skies and a warm breeze. I could have stayed for a while just enjoying the view out over the ocean, contemplating the many giant heads staring out to sea along side me, but we had limited time and a lot to see. Next stop was Ahu Tongariki, a platform holding 15 of the largest statues on the island then on to Anakena beach and Ahu Nau Nau, another 7 statues. The white sand beach was beautiful, but we were soon on our way to visit the Ahu Tahai complex, ceremonial site with village, canoe ramp and cave dwellings and all too soon we were back at the boat dock and our visit was over. Our time with Josephina was most enjoyable, she has an easy going personality and was very knowledgeable of the history and culture of the island.
We arrived back on board the ship just in time for a late lunch and an afternoon crash before the rigours of the evening ahead.
