A Week in Haŋa Roa
A Relaxing Week in Haŋa Roa
Ahu are stone platforms
that evolved from the traditional Polynesian marae,
communal or sacred spaces.
Mo'ai or moai
are megalithic statues depicting deified ancestors.
Many have been placed on ahu, facing inland to watch over the living.
Pukao are hat-like cylindrical structures
carved from light-red volcanic scoria and placed on top of some mo'ai.
They're believed to represent the long hair of high-ranking men
tied in buns on top of their heads.
ŋ or eng
as seen in Haŋa Roa, the name of the town,
is pronounced as in the English word
singing
and not as in
unglued.
As described on the page about the
logistics of visiting Rapa Nui,
I was on the island for a week.
The October 2024 annular eclipse of the Sun
had been the excuse for the trip,
but seeing the mo'ai and the ancient sites
was really the main goal.
An eclipse happens when it happens,
and I would be visiting the access-controlled ancient sites
on an all-day tour.
That left four full days, plus a half day at each end,
on the island.
My plan had been to not have a plan,
to relax and explore.
That non-plan was an excellent plan.
Let's start with the walk from my cabaña
to the fishing port, seen in the above banner.
Walking to the Harbor
Guesthouses at Booking.comI was staying at Hostal Henua Roa, just over a kilometer from the fishing port. I would go out to the road, Ara Roa Rakei, walk toward town with a short jog to the left on Tu'u Koihu, then downhill from the Roman Catholic church to the fishing port on Te Pito o Te Henua. Here's the interior of my cabaña or apartment.
Out onto the porch.
Past the family's car and toward the lane.
Flowers are everywhere, especially varieties of hibiscus.
Up a slight slope.
Then down to the road.
Turn right at the road, Ara Roa Rakei.
Up over a slight rise.
Then down the slope toward Tu'u Koihu.
I'll cross Tu'u Koihu and turn left.
There are three bodegas along Tu'u Koihu.
The Roman Catholic church is above the T intersection at the top of Te Pito o Te Henua. Surprisingly, it incorporates imagery from the Bird-Man cult in its façade.
Now to turn right at the intersection and continue downhill on Te Pito o Te Henua to the fishing port.
Many of the streets and all the sidewalks are made with bow-tie bricks, and steel grates provide drainage. There isn't much of a port on Rapa Nui. Bricks would be a little less of a challenge to get ashore, compared to the components of concrete and the equipment with which to prepare and apply it.
Atamu Tekana is another prominent street, leading toward the airport to the south.
The fire station and other municipal offices are part-way down Te Pito o Te Henua.
The post office is next door.
A large community center and football field are down by the waterfront.
My friends who had continued on to Rapa Nui after the total eclipse trip to Chile told me that none of these buildings were there in 2019. When I visited in 2024, these large new businesses were in operation.
Mo'ai on Ahu Along the Waterfront
I arrived on a Monday afternoon. As soon as I got settled into my apartment, I walked down to the waterfront, then north past several ahu with mo'ai. It was sunny and I took several pictures. However, the sun was going down offshore, and so the faces of the mo'ai were shadowed. I took several pictures anyway — a digital phone camera makes photography free, take pictures just in case, but I hoped to return in the morning to find better lighting.
Oh yes. The following pictures are from the morning, with the sun shining on the faces of these mo'ai.
North from Te Pito o Te Henua along Policarpo Toro, the waterfront road, cafes along the inland side look out across a park to the ocean. Ahu Tahai is a ceremonial platform with four mostly-complete mo'ai, a fragment of a fifth, and a base for a sixth one. Two other ahu with one mo'ai each are a little further along.
Yes, the light was much better in the morning.
Of the two lone mo'ai here, you can see from a distance that the first one is somewhat incomplete but the second has bright white coral eyes and a red pukao "hat" representing a topknot.
Ahu Tahai holds the mo'ai that either wasn't completely finished or has been damaged and heavily weathered.
The orange and white cargo ship was anchored out there for the entire week I was on Rapa Nui. Cargo ships anchor offshore and use their on-board cranes to transfer containers and other cargo to boats that relay them to the small cargo port, south of the fishing port.
The other lone mo'ai has been restored to its fully complete form. It was transported from the quarry and workshop of Rano Raraku and erected here on Ahu Ko Te Riku. It was polished with pumice, its eye sockets were finished, and eyes of white coral with black obsidian were added, along with a red scoria pukao. After the detailed tour I could appreciate that the small circle of stones was a paina, a ritual area immediately in front of the mo'ai.
A small mo'ai laid face-down a short distance inland.
The mo'ai were made from tuff, stone formed from compacted volcanic ash.
A small basalt block with two holes or sockets looked like a component of a hare paeŋa, a "boat-house" dwelling named for its resemblance to an overturned fishing boat. No, I didn't know that when I first saw it, I learned that on the all-day tour.
Rapa Nui is a basalt volcano, so its shoreline is mostly blocks of basalt. Anakena, the original landing point according to legend, is the only coral sand beach on the island.
Mo'ai de la Paz or the "Mo'ai of Peace" is a modern creation.
Ahu Hotake is at the fishing port.
Around Town
Nená's Cafe was a nice place for breakfast or just coffee.
The fishing port is at the center of town.
There are several minimarkets scattered through town, and plenty of places to buy clothing.
Are things expensive on Rapa Nui? Yes, it's an island, a very isolated one, so everything is certainly more expensive than on the mainland of Chile. But, I didn't think that it was terribly expensive.
There is just this one gas station on Rapa Nui. There are only about 7,750 people living on the island, no need for multiple gas stations. Several places rent cars, but you would have to hire a local guide or companion to enter any of the controlled sites around the island.
More bow-tie bricks and steel grates, of course.
Back at the main intersection, looking up Te Pito o Te Henua toward the church.
Continuing north along Policarpo Toro, the waterfront street. The hump for a pedestrian crossing is common throughout Chile.
Artisans sell their creations along the street. Several cafes face out across the park to the ocean.
I went to Iti Lafken several times, a nice place for a meal or just a drink.
I had dinner several evenings at Ohi Sushi. It also has a very nice view of the sunset over the Pacific.
Back at the center of town, my friends had recommended Oheho Surf Cafe for late lunch blending into happy hour. I followed their excellent advice. It's just south of the football field, looking out across the road to the Pacific.
Many places offer empanadas.
The empanada at Oheho Surf Cafe contains shrimp, pineapple, and cheese. Not a combination I would expect in mainland Chile.
There's a wonderful view of the ocean.
Surfing was developed in Polynesia, so this is an appropriate place to watch it..
Back to Iti Lafken for sunset.
Iti Lafken has music several nights during the week. Which nights? Ask, or look at the board out front. Google Maps is only somewhat suggestive of opening hours and days on Rapa Nui.
Vai Manu is just north of the fishing port.
I returned there for dinner my last night on Rapa Nui.
Or of course, as the British say, "petrol lift".