A unique discovery at Rano Raraku is the kneeling figure called Tukuturi. We found it difficult to find and we had to ask a couple of times. Eventually we came across this 4 meter high figure kneeling figure with its hands on its thighs. Once again it presented one of those mysteries that have yet to be solved. Why was it here and why was it different to all the other statues? As we walked along the path to the rim of the crater, where we could see other moai still upright, we had a decision to make. It was after four o’clock and we wanted to make two more stops before we navigated the difficult northern road back to town. We decided to turn back.
Nearby was the largest ahu on the island, Tongariki. Here 15 moai have been restored on the new platform. This was done by a Chilean archaeologist supported by a Japanese company between 1992 and 1995. These figures had been brought down by the tsunami that had struck the coast in 1960 doing significant damage along the coastline. Only one of the figures had the topknot restored. Later we learned that the earlier forms of moai did not have topknots. As we stood there taking in the figures, we could see the different shapes, heights and styles which showed how these moai were probably all from different time periods, perhaps hundreds of years.
We had time for a short stop at Anakena, which has Rapa Nui’s only real beach. It is an idyllic spot with a cream-yellow sandy beach fringed with perhaps a hundred tall palm trees. Shortly back from the beach and at an angle to the beach, there is a ahu here with seven moai, four with topknots. This is an important site in Rapa Nui history as it is also the burial site of Hotu Matua.
On a hill on the western flank of the beach there is a solitary moai. This was the first to be raised back into place by the islanders using traditional methods. This was in 1955.
