Click on any photo for a larger view. Many of the photos appearing here have been donated to our site by visitors who have returned from Easter Island wanting to share their experiences.
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The Tongariki statues. This massive
ahu can be seen from a great distance.
With its fifteen statues, Ahu Tongariki
is the largest on the island. One lone
moai lies in front, its original destination unknown. This site was destroyed by the 1960 tidal wave and reconstructed in recent years.
Another view of Ahu Tongariki with
the Poike Peninsula in the background.
A group of Tongariki
moai and top knots (pukao) several years before their restoration. In 1960, despite weighing several tons each, these
moai were transported by a tidal wave more than
300 feet [100 meters] inland from
their ahu. This may to some extent account for the damage to their faces and bodies, although like all
ahu moai across the island, they were thrown down during inter-tribal wars.
