Easter Island/Santiago November 2012 - Exploring Easter Island And Hanga Roa

***This post is part 5 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

With three full days bookended between two half days, we had just enough time to see all the major sites on Easter Island. Depending on your own preferences, however, three days may be not nearly enough to explore every amazing ruin and vista, or it may be entirely way too long on a tiny island out in the middle of nowhere. For me, it was just right.

I had done some research before arriving, so I knew of the main things I definitely wanted to see. But it wasn't until I started talking to other travelers and pulled out the official park map that I realized just how many points of interest there really were on Easter Island. And let me say, there are tons of stuff to see. You could literally spend two weeks there and not see everything, despite its small size and proximity.

I will give an overview of my itinerary on the island, but keep in mind that there were plenty of things we missed and places we would have liked to visit. However, we did try to hit all of the must-see spots and a few of the more obscure locales.

Day 1:
We agreed to take it easy on the first day after some long flights and the red-eye to Easter Island. By the time we were settled in at Kaimana Inn, it was almost noon-time already, so we decided to grab lunch first and then simply explore the town of Hanga Roa in the afternoon. There are actually many things to see in the immediate area, and it makes for a simple introduction before exploring the rest of the island.

Avenida Te Pito O Te Henua towards the harbor

It's a short and leisurely stroll to the harbor area, which, in many ways, seems to be the central gathering place in town. In fact, the very first moai you are likely to encounter is located here. After a quick lunch, we strolled along the waterfront and saw numerous surfers braving the cold waters. I also visited one of the two banks in town a few blocks away to exchange my U.S. dollars. Be aware that bank hours are extremely erractic, often shutting down the entire afternoon. The small post office just up the street from the harbor is a fun place to get your passport stamped and send out some postcards.

Surf lessons for the local kids at the harbor

Along the waterfront