Rapa nui national park history books

Most of the main tourism agencies on the island usually operate normally, but some may change their schedules on the 31st and others rest on the first day of the year. Admire an intriguing tableau of iconic moai sculptures with an experienced archeologist guide. Rapa nui s mysterious moai statues stand in silence but speak volumes about the achievements of their creators. The landscape of rapa nui, the indigenous name for easter island, is an eerie exhibit of ancient cultural remnants of an abandoned desertdwelling people. Easter island, or rapa nui, has more than 300 megalithic. Readingmultimediatestrapa nui national park mediawiki. One of worlds largest marine parks created off coast of. Breakfast, wifi, and an airport shuttle are free at this property. The easter island foundation promoting the conservation. Truck driver destroys famous easter island moai statue.

The access to the site is on the west side, where the traveler moai is. Discover the dramatic beauty and rich history of easter island on a captivating fullday tour from hanga roa. Rapa nui, the indigenous name of easter island, bears witness to a unique cultural phenomenon. The ritual was an annual competition to collect the first sooty tern manu tara egg of the season from the islet of motu nui, swim back to rapa nui and climb the sea cliff of rano kau to the clifftop village of orongo. Easter island is a chilean island in the southeastern pacific ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the polynesian triangle.

It consists of a collection of low, sodcovered, windowless, roundwalled buildings with even lower doors positioned on the high southwesterly tip of the large volcanic caldera called rano kau. Rano kau, a volcanic crater at rapa nui national parkdanny bernstein by the 1600s, the moai culture collapsed. We began with a visit to tahai near the coast, where we learned of dr. Below orongo on one side a 300meter barren cliff face drops down to the ocean. Easter island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early rapa nui people. Its history serves as a grim warning about the dangers of unintended ecological devastation, and its colonial history recapitulates the worst practices of that era. Rapa nui national park has paved roads that connect all the south coast. Tickets for the rapa nui national park box office of the rapa nui national park at mataveri airport at the entrance to the terminal, on the left, there is a small ticket office belonging to the mau henua corporation where tickets can be purchased to access the rapa nui national park. Easter island rapa nui is the destination of choice for many travelers who are intrigued by the famous statues, the isolation, and the mysterious history of this island.

Rapa nuis mysterious moai statues stand in silence but speak volumes about the achievements of their creators. Rano raraku is in the world heritage site of rapa nui national park and gives its name to one of the seven sections of the park. Nov 18, 2017 first, rapa nui was rented to a private company for 80 years and, in more recent times, the rapa nui national park home to the famous moai stone heads has been administered from santiago. Youre allowed one visit to orongo and one visit to rano raraku, though other sites can be visited multiple times, if desired. The rapa nui have historically made feather headdresses, bark cloth, wood carvings, and stone carvings. The north area is connected by unpaved roads, which are in average conditions.

Easter island candidate puts selfrule on ballot in chile. The island is located in the southeastern pacific ocean, at the southeastern extremity of the polynesian triangle. An idea that we could visit the worlds most unique, mysterious, and exotic lands. On the other hand, the entire island was declared a national monument in 1935 and the same was done with the islets adjacent to easter island in 1976. The rapa nui national park has been managed by the national forestry corporation since late 1973, a corporation that oversees compliance with the rules on the parks conservation. Few areas in the world possess a more mystical pull than this tiny speck of land, one of the most isolated places on earth. The secrets of easter island history smithsonian magazine. Easter island history, polynesia history, books barnes. On the other hand, the entire island was declared a national monument in 1935 and the same was done with the islets adjacent to. Easter island or rapa nui is one of the most attractive places in the world, declared a world heritage site. Rapa nui national park, which has some of the most fascinating and remarkable examples of cultural tradition in the world, includes wellpreserved moai stone monuments, ancient dwellings, and other sites of archaeological significance. Polynesian people most likely settled on easter island sometime between 700 and 1100 ce, and created a thriving and industrious culture as evidenced by the islands numerous enormous stone moai and other artifacts. A national park declared in 1935 comprises more than a third of the island, and nearly all the remainder belongs to chile.

William mulloy, a former professor from the university of wyoming who pioneered efforts to restore many of the moai statues and ahus platforms and ceremonial sites. European diseases and peruvian slave raiding in the 1860s further reduced the rapa nui population, to a low of only 111 inhabitants in 1877. One of the worlds largest marine protection areas has been created off the coast of easter island. Rapa nui island easter island, pacific ocean chile the silent stone head statues of rapa nui national park aka easter island, which are properly called moai, are a true testimony to the skills and endurance of the ancient seafaring culture that carved them from the islands bedrock. It is the easternmost outpost of the polynesian island world. Its so easy to get confused in all the speculation, history, and mystery of rapa nui. Dec 31, 2018 rapa nui national park, which spans more than 40 percent of the island, protects and preserves the cultural icons. Explore easter island rapa nui holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. Jun, 2018 rapa nuis mysterious moai statues stand in silence but speak volumes about the achievements of their creators.

Rapa nui national park is a protected chilean wildlife area located in easter island. An unbeatable guide to the diverse landscape, history, and activities in chile and easter island, from touring chilean vineyards and stargazing in the atacama desert, to exploring the glaciers of the torres del paine national park in patagonia and admiring. List of books and articles about easter island online research. After crossing the wall, you must go to the right to present the ticket in the kiosk of the national park. An easter island tour provides the chance to witness the polynesian customs at first hand and to learn about the tribal history of the island. Mar 19, 2012 rapa nui easter island the terra papers, the ancient star war. The cores were collected with the support of mau henua rapa nui s community administrating the national park, chiles forest service, the national. The stone blocks, carved into headandtorso figures, average feet 4 meters tall and 14 tons. Strong cultural coverage gets under the skin of this skinny country including a special feature on wine. There is a wooden national park booth before the arrivals hall of the airport where you buy the ticket, valid for your entire stay. Jul 27, 2018 rapa nui, the indigenous name of easter island, bears witness to a unique cultural phenomenon. Slowburning challenge to chile on easter island a rapanui man who lives as a squatter in a cave in easter islands national park, land that the islanders say was stolen from their ancestors. Rapa nui national park wikimili, the free encyclopedia.

Mysteries of the moai and tangata manu wilderness travel. It has been a literal dream of mine, since i was 15 years old, maybe younger, to visit easter island. Since 1935, most of rapa nui s land and all of its archaeological sites have been protected as a national park thats filled with caves, ahu ceremonial platforms, fallen moai large anthropomorphic statues, village structures and petroglyphs. Ancient origins articles related to rapa nui national park in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. Slowburning rebellion against chile on easter island. Currently, the rapa nui and the chilean government are focused on preserving and restoring the statues, including denoting an area that includes many of the statues, rapa nui national park, as a world heritage site. What really happened on easter island the mystery of. But, hard facts for serious travelers are hard to come by.

This is a great opportunity to see the different aspects of the rapa nui culture, but to make sure youll find a descent hotel itd be a good idea to book at least six months before arrival. Rapa nui national park easter island moai statues at sunset. For many years, how the moai and the islands native rapa nui people arrived on the island was a topic of heated debate among researchers and anthropologists. The indigenous rapa nui people have regained authority over their ancestral lands and are in charge of the management, preservation and protection of their patrimony. Easter island world heritage site reflections enroute. The famous moais easter island heads are gigantic rock statues scattered across easter island that make up the main focus of the rapa nui national park.

Today the population can trace their heritage to a mix of settlers and polynesians. Oct 07, 2012 slowburning challenge to chile on easter island a rapanui man who lives as a squatter in a cave in easter islands national park, land that the islanders say was stolen from their ancestors. Named a unesco world heritage site in 1995, easter island still displays many of the cultural elements of historical polynesia today. The isolated rapa nui developed a distinct architectural and artistic culture that weathered the centuries. The peak of the high season is the two first weeks of february during the tapati rapa nui festival.

Easter island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early rapa nui people. The introduction of diseases carried by european colonizers and slave raiding devastated the population in the 1800s. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our favorite reads in more than a dozen categories. Rapa nui national park easter island 2020 all you need. Introduced animals, first rats and then sheep, were largely responsible for the islands loss of native flora. History, traditions, texts by steven roger fischer. The history of the rapa nui can serve as a cautionary tale for the rest of the world. It also holds 887 giant stone statues or easter island heads, called moai, which are part of the rapa nui national park, an unesco world heritage site.

The easter island foundation was founded in 1989 with the mission. Rapa nui national park national park in easter island. The rapa nui are the aboriginal polynesian inhabitants of easter island in the pacific ocean. Much of the island is protected in the rapa nui national park. The main town, hanga roa, and the rapa nui national park, which comprises roughly half the island, are two of the best places to experience traditional island life. Rapa nui national park situated on easter island, this isolated national park is famous for its mysterious moai silent stone figures carved by ancient inhabitants. The fascination started by watching documentaries with my dad. This title features expanded coverage of patagonia, including new adventure options in puerto natales and more information on chiles crown jewel, torres del paine national park. History of rapa nui easter island lonely planet travel.

Rapa nui national park easter island 2020 all you need to know. Ahu tongariki the largest ceremonial platform of easter island. For the best sight of these stony sculptures, head to ahu tongariki which features 15 moai lined up together. The rapa nui national park has two official protections. Known as one of the worlds sacred sites, it is most famous for its enigmatic giant stone statues or moai whose. For the first time in history, the revenue generated by the national park is invested in the island and used to conserve the. After reading several books and countless websites. It doesnt get any more unique, more mysterious, more exotic than easter island. Photo by frank kehren the haunting, mysterious easter island is a remote island in the middle of the pacific ocean that today, is surprisingly accessible from santiago and tahiti. A society of polynesian origin that settled there c. Its hard to feel connected to chile, over 3700km to the east, let alone the wider world. The rapa nui national park is now under the administrative control of the ma.

Most of the islands moai are within the boundaries in the national park and have protected status, so. Rapa nui national park is a national park and unescoinscribed world heritage site located on easter island, chile. Easter island, also known as rapa nui, is a tiny island known for its huge moai statues scattered all over the island the world is fascinated by the creation of these statues not only for the impressive size and quantity of them, but also for the circumstances under which they were built. Today, the island is one big open air archaeological park which attracts about 12,000 tourists a month, but mayor pedro pablo. We thus are presenting what would be a fantastic fiveday vacation on that tiny island in the center of the world. Discover the dramatic beauty and rich history of easter island on a captivating fullday tour. Rapa nui is one of the most isolated islands on earth.

Even more impressive, the island boasts some 20,000 archaeological sites, making it a dream destination for those interested in culture and history. Overuse of natural resources, deforestation underway. Katherine maria routledge, nee pease, was an english archaeologist and anthropologist who, in 1914, initiated and carried out much of the first true survey of easter island. Today rapa nui is a protectorate of chile, and most of the island exists as a national park. The archaeological sites belonging to the rapa nui national park can be visited normally on december 31 and january 1 but they will close at 6. Rapa nui national park is a national park and unesco world heritage site located on easter. Slowburning rebellion against chile on easter island the. The island, so lush when the people first landed, was deforested.

The island stands in isolation 1,200 miles 1,900 kilometres east of pitcairn island and 2,200 miles west of chile. Come and discover rapa nui national park with our best tour packages. Easter island night photography tour 2021 national parks. Lonely planet chile and easter island country travel guide. It is a territory of chile that lies far off in the pacific ocean, roughly halfway to tahiti. Orongo is a stone village and ceremonial center at the southwestern tip of rapa nui easter island.

Named easter island by the dutch explorer jacob roggeveen, who first spied it. Although they are not in the best conditions, the road connecting hanga roa and anakena is in perfect state. As we grew up, read great books, and watched movies of faraway lands, it ignited an idea. Mystery and history on easter island princess cruises. Mar 07, 2020 in 1995, rapa nui national park was designated a unesco world heritage site, and covers most of the island. The indigenous rapa nui people have regained authority over their ancestral lands and are in charge of the management. Much like easter island, our planets limited natural resources must be consumed in a sustainable fashion if we want it to support life in the longterm. Rapa nui national park maps unesco world heritage centre.

Early settlers called the island te pito o te henua the navel of the world. In front of it there is a parking area to leave the vehicles. Mau henua, an indigenous group composed of members of the rapa nui community, has an informative video about visiting rapa nui national park. In 1995, unesco named easter island a world heritage site, with much of the island protected within rapa nui national park. In 1995, unesco named easter island a world heritage site, with much of the island now protected within rapa nui national park and the indigenous rapa nui people believe the statues embody the spirits of ancestors. It is estimated that these figures of stone were built around the year 0 ad. The stone blocks, carved into headandtorso figures, average feet 4 meters. Rapa nui national park unesco world heritage centre. Since the 1950s, many international academic and archaeological groups have come to the island to study and restore the moais to their upright positions. Rapa nui national park, which has some of the most fascinating and remarkable. Rapa nui national park easter island 2020 all you need to. On one hand, since 1935 it has been a national park, administered by the national forest service of chile conaf.

Rapa nui national park easter island 2020 what to know. The easternmost polynesian culture, the descendants of the original people of rapa nui easter island make up about 60% of the current rapa nui population and have a significant portion of their population residing in mainland chile. The stone blocks, carved into headandtorso figures, average. Parque nacional rapa nui travel chile lonely planet. Steven roger fischer offers the first englishlanguage history of easter island in.