A tiny speck of volcanic rock in the middle of the Pacific a five hour flight from the Chilean mainland, Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as it is known by the locals, has for centuries fascinated travellers and scholars alike.
Moai
This is due to the squat bodies and brooding faces of hundreds of stone statues or ‘moai’ that gaze from all corners of the island.
A three or four night trip to this intriguing destination means coming face to face with these moai, admiring their sculpture and size and pondering the mysteries of why they were erected, how they got to be standing on their platforms on this island, and who put them there.