The Giant Wonders of Easter Island, Polynesia

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The mysterious stone giants of Polynesia have been the source of wonders from scholars to common people alike.

If you are one of those who are fascinated about history, cultures, mysteries, or simply just looking for something to gaze in wonder, travelling in Easter Island of Polynesia will be a treat for you.

LOCATION

Easter Island, Polynesia is one of the most isolated islands in the world. It rests in the Pacific Ocean near the Antarctic continent and is 4, 300 miles away from Hawaii. Its nearest neighbor lies 1, 200 miles away.

This remote island was first named Te pito o te henua, which means “the navel of the world” by its first known habitant Hotu Matu’a, an adventure-seeking chief 1, 500 years ago.

However, it was changed into Rapa Nui, which means Big Rapa, by a Tahitian visitor after the island’s shape reminded him of his home Rapa Iti, which means Small Rapa.

CLIMATE

Rapa Nui’s climate is relatively tamed with an average temperature of 22 degrees Celsius in the summer (from January to March) and a winter season that dipped only to 14 degrees Celsius.

TRANSPORTATION

Reaching Rapa Nui is far, far easier compared to the ancient civilization’s way of getting there. However, you still have to endure the long flights in going to the island. Touring around on the other hand is a piece of cake as there are many car, motorcycle, and mountain bike rentals are scattered around the island.

WHAT TO SEE

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“A picture is worth a thousand words.” In this case, the giant stone statues called moai is worth a thousand years of history. The seemingly unseeing moais have seen its share of olden times as they are built by the ancient civilization who first settled in Rapa Nui.

It was made of scoria rocks, which are hardened volcanic ash. The durability of the 900 statues is an on-going concern by the Rapa people.

The moais are believed by the locals to be their ancestors. One reason is that no two moais look exactly alike. The capstones of the moais, which are made of red scoria, are said to be the topknots of the said forefathers. Those who are lacking this reddish scoria are reasoned to be bald.

Another source of this wonder is how people without sophisticated machinery could build a statue that reached a staggering height of 80-feet high. These statues of torso and head are even set into platforms called ahu.

The reason to Rapa Nui’s scarce greenery was actually pointed to the making of these giant wonders. The trees are cut down to make log rollers, which are the tool used in tipping the moais into their respective ahus.

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Until now, despite of numerous theories by archaeologists, we are no closer into unveiling the reason behind the construction of these giants.

All we have are these awe-inspiring legacies to take care of in order to preserve the long forgotten cultures in stones.

http://laurenceourac.com/the-giant-wonders-of-easter-island-polynesia/

Images:
(1) http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/assets/img/full-size/fate-of-easter-island-merl.jpg
(2) http://www.history.com/topics/easter-island
(3) http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/easter-island/