Day 58 - More craters

Easter Island

The jeep we had rented yesterday was scheduled to be returned at 11am, so this morning we drove up to see Orongo, not far from where we were staying. Orongo was a site of much significance for the islanders, and sits on the edge of a huge volcanic crater filled with water and supporting a unique biosystem.

We were the first ones to arrive for the day, so we had the place to ourselves for a while. We walked along the path to the old village, which consisted of tiny houses (with even smaller stone doorways) which were used when the islanders came up to the crater for special ceremonies. The view over the crater was impressive, as was the view to the smaller islands of Moto Nui and Moto Iti, which were significant in the ceremonies.

They must have been small to fit through those doors

After returning the car we visited the cave across the road from our hostel, which had some old rock paintings. We had a nice picnic lunch sitting near the cave looking out into the small bay nearby, after which we headed back into town for another enjoyable dinner with ocean views.