Rano Raraku

Almost every moai on Rapa Nui was cut from the tuff of Rano Raraku, and the crater and its outer slope are where the work stopped: something under four hundred statues remain there, in every condition - roughed out and still attached to the bedrock, freed and standing in transit pits, buried to the shoulders by slope wash so that only heads show, and one unfinished figure of about twenty metres that would have been far larger than any ever moved. Excavation has shown that the buried ones have full bodies below ground, carved with designs. Why the carving stopped is argued over and not settled.

What you actually see

• The quarry every moai came from - cut from the crater's tuff.
• Statues at every stage - attached, freed, in transit, buried to the shoulders.
• An unfinished figure of about twenty metres - larger than any ever moved.
• Full bodies below ground - carved, on the ones buried to the neck.

When to go

Year round. Half a day.

Honest expectations

A licensed Rapa Nui guide is required and paths are fixed - the days of walking freely among the statues are over, and for good reason. The park ticket is expensive and covers a set number of visits to some sites. There is no shade.

Nearby

Ahu Tongariki is minutes away; Hanga Roa is west.