Orongated

It was time to start exploring Easter Island. We started on the southern point, at the ruins of Orongo. Most folks think of Easter Island in terms of the stone heads, the moai, but before discovery, that was supplanted by a different religion/culture.

The culture of the Birdman was centered at the southern volcano, Rano Kau.

First, let me show you a map of Rapa Nui.

Rapa Nui

Hanga Roa, on the west side, is the main village, and where we are staying. Alan and I are in the Tupa Hotel, while Machi and his family are at a residencia a bit north of us.

Orongo is located on the southern volcano (dormant) of the island, and it is part of the Rapa Nui National Park.

There are two ways to get there. You can drive to the top (which is what Alan, Virginia, and Lucas did), or you can start at the trail at the bottom and hike up.

Guess what Machi and I did.

Sendero a Orongo

(“Sendero” means “trail”.)

So up we climbed. It really wasn’t that high—about 400 meters to the top. Here’s a look back at Hanga Roa from about mid-slope.

Hanga Roa From Above

And a bit more of the bay with me in the picture.

More Hanga Roa

It was a fairly easy climb—it was more the heat, sun, and wind that made it a challenge. (Rapa Nui seems to have nearly constant winds of about 20 miles per hour.)

And here’s the caldera of the volcano.

The Caldera

As you can see, it is filled with water, with various bog plants growing in the water. Believe it or not, this is where the whole island gets its drinking water—there just isn’t any other on the island. There are no streams since the soil is a loose volcanic ash and all the water just soaks right into it.

You can see the rim of the caldera dip where it meets the Pacific Ocean, the deeper blue behind. We’re not sure if that is purely erosive (from the waves via the Pacific) or if it is also related to how the volcano let loose in the first place. But it is a spectacular sight.

Machi and Me, Ready to Hike the Caldera Rim Trail

We then followed the trail that followed the ridgeline of the caldera, arriving at Orongo. Orango contains ruins related to the worship of Make-Make, which replaced the ancestor worship that created all of the moai. As resources were exhausted, the older ways fell apart, and Make-Make and the Birdman culture arose in its place. The Birdman culture had a major rite associated with the arrival of sooty terns in the spring, and their laying of their eggs on small offshore islands.

The Islands at Orongo

Men would camp out at the small islands (e.g., Motu Kau Kau), and the man who brought back the first egg (swimming and climbing the cliff face). The “winner” became the Birdman for the year, and was considered sacred during this time.

The village up there was made of stone houses (eerily reminiscent of pueblo ruins, but without any mortar, with just a single story). Why would you need such structures in such a mild climate? Mainly, I suspect, as protection from the constant strong winds.

The Orongo Ruins

Here’s a cut-away view of the construction of one of the houses.

Cut-away View of a House

(Photo credit: Alan Bruens)

When the men headed out to the small islands, they had a route that took them along the caldera rim to the lowest spot along the Pacific; they’d then swim to the islands.

Towards the Caldera Low Point

Here’s Machi and me along the official trail.

Alongo Orongo

(Photo credit: Alan Bruens)

We then hiked down and all met for a great dinner. Again, bare feet are just fine in all the restaurants (though you really don’t see very many of them at all.)