TRAVEL AND TOURS

With a mixture of awe and admiration, Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen and his men first viewed the huge stone figures that seemed to stare at them stubbornly as their ships approached a solitary and unknown island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
However, they were not afraid of landing. When Roggeveen arrived, he felt fascinated by the immense creations over 10 meters tall which he saw on this unfamiliar spot, which he christened Easter Island, as the discovery day, April 5 1722, also happened to be Resurrection Sunday.
With the Dutch sailor's landing, a new chapter in the virtually unknown island's history began, after it had turned its back to the world for 1400 years. At last western eyes were able to view the gigantic sculptures known as Moai that still dazzle observers. The Moai monuments represent ancestors who had reached the status of semi gods. These remarkable carvings rest on colossal platforms known as Ahu that were used as ceremonial centers and are scattered along the coast of the island.
The people living on this far-off corner of the planet called their island Te Pito o Te Henua (the navel of the world), a name which was given it by king Hotu Matu'a; called themselves the Rapa Nui, which meant "peace-loving and welcoming people", a fact that was attested to by the Spanish (1770), British (1774) and French (1786) ships that were subsequently visited the Easter Island.
Only on September 9, 1888 would this paradise-like island - located 3700 kms from the Chilean coast - become part of Chile, now falling within the jurisdiction of the Valparaiso Region. By that time, the natives, who once had numbered several thousands, had been reduced to no more than 180 inhabitants, since all the rest had been taken to the guano deposits in Peru.

The natives, however, survived. They now number more than 1,500 and keep their ancestral skills for music making and stone and wood carving, with their happy and outgoing nature. Their origin can be traced back to the 4th century, when the first men arrived at the "world's navel" from the Marquesas Islands, according to anthropological and linguistic research. Easter Island - a Garden of Eden dotted with volcanoes and guarded by the taciturn Moai and the mysterious Ahus- extends approximately 180 square kms over a triangular surface, a reminder that it was shaped three million years ago by the activity of these three volcanoes: Maunga Terevaca, Rano Kau and Poike, fiery colossi that although now dormant are still commanding. As time goes by and the questions raised by the island remain, and multiply. Since no answers are found for them, it continues to attract the world's attention with its archaeological heritage and its mysterious natives, able to carve the wooden rongo rongo boards with an undecipherable script and to carve and then haul massive stones weighing several tons, without having discovered the wheel, like the Incas did. These are only a few of the attractions on a long and varied list we will find in the Easter Island National Park. which occupies 40% of the island. It has almost a thousand Moai and hundreds of Ahus, ancient volcanoes, caves and caverns containing paintings and rock carvings, plus a broad variety of flora and fauna.
This is no longer the world's less inhabited island. Now there is Hanga Roa, the only city on the island, and Mataveri, the airport that receives flights from Santiago, turning Easter Island into one of Chile's best tourist destinations, because besides its multiple natural and cultural richness, it offers a warmly pleasant weather and the opportunity to experience all kinds of adventures.
Today this far away place is no longer the exclusive preserve of brave travellers. It is now an advance post for anthropologists, scientists, researchers, as well as for travellers and globetrotters. Everyone in his own way seeks an answer to the puzzle of Easter Island and its stone guardians.