Another day on the island, another day in paradise. I hiked up to Rano Kau, a volcano on the southern side of the runway. When I arrived at the crater rim, I was stunned by the vegetation that flourishes down in the crater. The wall of the crater protects the inside from strong winds and creates a micro climate allowing the vegetation to grow.
I then headed down to Orongo, a ceremonial village. From the 18th century, Orongo was used as the centre of the bird man cult: Annually, each chief of a clan would appoint up to 2 hopu (men of lesser status) who would then swim over to Motu Nui, an island off the coast of Easter Island, and wait for the return of the terns. The task was then to collect the first egg lain by a tern, and return it safely to the chief who was waiting in one of the stone huts of the ceremonial village. He would then be announced tangata-mangu, and went into seclusion in a special ceremonial house for a year. As tangata-mangu, he was considered sacred for the next 5 months, and would be entitled to food gifts and other tributes. The race was very dangerous, and many hopus died in the process (falling of the cliffs, eaten by sharks, drowning, etc.). It cult stopped in the 1860’s, when it was suppressed by Christian missionaries.
In the hotel, I had made the acquaintance of some sailors. Their boat had some problems with the electrical system. Being an electrical engineer by education, I offered my help, and went out to the boat in the afternoon to take a close look at the electric system. In the evening, we had dinner in a restaurant near the shore.
