Margaret’s Travel Log 3: Easter Island Day 2

Since Tahiti, I have been fitting polarising filters to my lenses for most shots taken in sunny conditions because it’s the only way to record the intense blue of the skies correctly. Sometimes the polariser has to be turned back a tiny bit to avoid over-emphasising the blue of the sky. But, in most cases, full polarising is needed to reproduce the colours accurately. Naturally, when it’s overcast – and for most close-ups, the polarisers come off. It means a lot of juggling, but the end result is worth the effort.

I have also been changing lenses quite frequently and really appreciate my EOS 400D’s dust minimisation system. So far, I have only needed to remove a few dust marks from a couple of shots and it seems that the repeated ‘zapping’ each time the camera is powered up and shut down can dislodge the majority of dust particles. Having used cameras with and without dust minimisation, I would be reluctant to do without this facility in any future DSLRs I buy.

A day-long tour of the island was scheduled for today and now we are a group of five; not three. First stop along the way was Ahu Vinapu, an ahu with toppled moai, which is of interest because its stonework is reminiscent of stonework in the ancient settlements of Peru.

The stonework at Ahu Vinapu with Sabrina demonstrating how closely the stones are fitted together.
From there we proceeded to the Akahanga archaeological complex, which has some of the largest moai ever built. The stones still lie where they were toppled several hundred years ago, a sad testimony to the effects of over-population. Photographing some of these ruins is difficult, partly because it is hard to find an interesting angle that reveals the key features of the setting. Finding the right lighting can also be a challenge.

The ahu at Akahanga, showing the extent of the destruction resulting from internecine rivalry. Note the blown-out sky. Even shooting raw files failed to overcome the huge brightness range we found in some situations.

From Akahanga we headed inland then north towards Anakena, the only sandy beach on the island with safe swimming.

Anakena beach from the headland. Note the clear water and pale golden sand, the latter a rarity on the Island.
Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian archaeologist who visited Rapa Nui in the 1950s, set up his base camp here and it is here that he demonstrated the way in which the moai could have been raised into position. A restored ahu with four intact moai and three ‘stumps’ is located in the sand hills to the rear of the beach.

Anakena beach, showing the restored ahu and moai. A slightly overcast sky made it easier than usual to encompass the wide brightness range that makes photography difficult.

Anakena from the landward side.

The moai restored by Thor Heyerdahl in the 1950s.

Another view of Anakena beach, showing both moai platforms.

From Anakena we traveled on to Ahu Tongariki, where there is a restored ahu with 15 moai. This platform was reconstructed with money from a Japanese organisation and gives an excellent impression of what the original ahus looked like. The result is very impressive.

A view of Ahu Tongariki looking seawards from the slopes of the Ranu Rakaku crater.

Our guides, posed in front of Ahu Tongariki, showing the size of the structure.

Another view of Ahu Tongariki from the opposite direction.

Ahu Tongariki lies just below the Ranu Raraku crater, which is where all of the moai were created. If you walk around the back of the ahu it is possible to photograph the crater in the background with the line of statues facing toward it.

Ahu Tongariki, showing the back view of the ahu, with the crater from which the statues were quarried in the background.

Close-up view of Ahu Tongariki.
After a picnic lunch in a grove of coral trees, we set off to walk up to the crater itself so we could see how and where the statues were produced. It’s an amazing place. As well as almost-completed statues that stand, partially buried in the ground on the hillside, large portions of the rocks on the hillside contain partially carved moai, lying at all kinds of angles.

It’s impossible not to be impressed by the engineering skills of the Rapa Nui craftsmen. Not only were they able to carve the statues in situ snd then move them out without breaking them. They also managed to extract as many statues as possible from a single piece of rock. I doubt modern engineers could do much better – and particularly not with the tools of the time: stones.

Abandoned moai on the outer slopes of the Rangu Raraku crater. Most of these statues are more than half buried in the soil. None have eyes and, therefore, the power associated with them, so they were not toppled in the internecine wars.

Partially-carved moai in a quarry on the slopes of Rangu Raraku. In places you can count seven or more statues in various stages of completion.

Ranu Raraku moai

A view of the interior of the Ranu Raraku crater, showing the crater lake. Groups of moai can be seen near the lake’s edges in a few places (but are not discernible in this picture).

Our evening meal was particularly interesting as the restaurant specialised in local culture. So we were treated to a meal cooked in an ‘umu’ (underground oven). Fish, chicken and meat – as well as yams and sweet potatoes- were layered with banana leaves and hot rocks and buried under about 8 cm of earth. It was then left for about four hours and then the earth was carefully scraped off, the overlying banana leaves removed and the food lifted out. The result is quite delicious.

Opening the ‘umu’ to reveal the cooked foodstuffs inside.

After the meal we were treated to several performances of local music and dance – all of which made great subjects for photography. Unfortunately, ambient light levels were rather low, which meant choosing between using very high ISO settings or opting to shoot with flash. My partner chose the first, while I settled for the second.

I have never liked shooting with flash for several reasons. Firstly, because the direct lighting can look artificial and flat. Secondly because the flash is unkind to subjects’ eyes. And, finally, because it drains battery power. However, by setting the flash exposure to -0.7EV, at least some of these obstacles were overcome and I was able to get a much higher percentage of ‘usable’ shots than my partner. Some examples are shown below.

Local dance performance

Local dancer
It was raining when we left Easter Island on the following morning, bound for Santiago, where we would spend the night before flying to La Paz in the high Andes. Here we will have a day to acclimatise to the altitude before proceeding with the rest of the trip. The flight will pass along the seaward edge of the mountains, stopping at Iquique before heading up to La Paz. There should be some excellent opportunities for picture-taking along the way.

Local string craft, a popular traditional pastime that dates back to the days when information was stored and shared through string patterns.