The moai of Rapa Nui, alone in the Pacific
Easter Island, Rapa Nui to its people, lies more than 3,500 km off the Chilean coast, and its hundreds of moai are among the world's most extraordinary monuments. Most of the island is a national park. At Rano Raraku, the quarry, moai lie half-finished in the rock, and at Ahu Tongariki fifteen stand in a row, best at sunrise. The crater of Rano Kau and the ceremonial village of Orongo, linked to the birdman cult, overlook the sea. Anakena has a white-sand beach with moai behind it.