Fully rested and ready for an adventure i set off to rent a bike. No deposit required, 8 quid all in and i'm off to the mini-market. 6 litres of water and a few sarnies later my backpack is heavy, it's 9.30 am and it's already v hot and v humid. Is this a good idea?
The ride out of town is gently uphill on paved roads, easy and no traffic. To follow the coast and see the sights you are forced off this luxury onto dirt tracks. My seat is hard, is this a good idea? 5kms later and you hit the coast, wonderful views and the road isn't too bad. No hills either just gentle undulations sweeping up the coast. Brilliant.
The first two sites are ahus (ceremonial platforms) with their Moai scattered about in the vicinity. A tragedy, forlorn looking fellas not best pleased with being face down in the dirt. The next 15 kms are into a brutal headwind, it's getting hotter and i've already drunk 3 litres, is this a good idea?
My legs are starting to get the hump, my shirt is soaked and i reach the quarry. A volcanic hill where they carved the Moai straight out of the hillside. 300 or so of these fellas are scattered about at various stages of development. Stunning. All the ones on the hillside are about 10m high. The head 4m and the body, often sunk into a pit, is 6m. Just wonderful. Walk around for an hour or so and my legs and arse are glad to have escaped the bike. The next attraction is visible from the crest of the hill. Ahu Tongariki, 15 Moai in a row, about 2 km away and that is part ii
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