Hiking to Rano Kau

To start our first full day in Rapa Nui, we enjoyed a relaxed morning coffee and Peter's fine breakfast of cereal, meat cold cuts and cheese. By 11 AM, we were hiking toward the closest and most notable volcano on the island, Rano Kau.

 

We climbed about 1000 feet in elevation on a rough but well beaten trail.

When we were least expecting it, we were looking over the rim into the caldron. It was a beautiful sight. Our pictures don't do it justice.

It was partially filled with fresh water and marsh-like vegetation.

We hiked to the western side of the rim where there's the historic ceremonial village of Orongo. A couple of dozen hovels were built into the hillside there. The entrances were only about 2 feet square and the interior about 3 to 4 feet high. It suggested that the inhabitants must have been quite small in stature.

Folklore has it that when resources on the island were diminishing, the competition between tribes got violent. To best survive, the tribe elders agreed to an annual Birdman competition with the winning tribe getting an increased share of the resources. That competition was centered around the village of Orongo. For us though, it was a scenic place to rest and have lunch.

The volcano has a bite out of the rim adjacent to the sea. The ocean has eroded away the side providing a  view of  a couple of tiny uninhabited islands. We ventured east along the rim even though we were tired and sore. It reminded us of hiking in Switzerland, there was always another knoll, and around or over it, there was a new vista. As we stretched our physical limitations, we knew we still had to hike back down.

By the time we arrived back in town, we had trekked about 12 kms. We had dinner at a nice little seaside restaurant, then rented a couple of mountain bikes in preparation the following day.

Beat and relaxing back at home with a glass of fine Chilean wine, we reflected on the great day and our hike to Rano Kau.

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http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2013/10/our-luck-turns.html