THE MOAI OF EASTER ISLAND

PRODUCED BY
Ultherius MacQuoid
 WHAT ARE MOAIS?
Rapa Nui’s mysterious moai statues stand in
silence but speak volumes about the
achievements of their creators. The stone
blocks, carved into head-and-torso figures,
average 13 feet tall and 14 tons.
 CONSTRUCTION
The effort to construct these monuments and
move them around the island must have been
considerable—but no one knows exactly why
the Rapa Nui people undertook such a task.
 CREATION
Most scholars suspect that the moai were
created to honor ancestors, chiefs, or other
important personages, However, no written
and little oral history exists on the island,
so it’s impossible to be certain.
DETERIORATION AND
DESTRUCTION
Either way, loss of the trees exposed the
island’s rich volcanic soils to serious
erosion. When Europeans arrived in
1722, they found the island mostly
barren and its few inhabitants.
Today’s tourists are numerous, and most
visit the Rano Raraku quarry. Rapa Nui’s
ancient inhabitants left the quarry in a
fascinating condition—it is home to some
400 statues, which appear in all stages of
completion.
Many moai are reversing the creation
process and deteriorating rapidly from
priceless carvings back into plain rock.
The volcanic stone is subject to
weathering, and intensive conservation
efforts are needed to help preserve
Rapa Nui’s stone legacy in its present.
HOW TO GET THERE

It’s miraculous that Polynesian peoples

ever reached Rapa Nui in the first place.
Getting there today is far easier, but the
island is still very far afield.
 WHEN TO VISIT
High season on Rapa Nui is the Southern
Hemisphere summer—January to March.
Though winter can get a bit chilly,
average maximums still hover around
22ºC and minimums dip to only 14ºC so
the weather is really rather pleasant
year-round.
HOW TO VISIT
Cars, motorcycles, and mountain bikes
are available for hire and all are good
ways for visitors to explore the island’s
scattered archaeological sites.