Female Frigate Birds

Off Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands. Frigate birds are the only sea birds in which females and males differ strikingly. The females have a white patch on their breasts; the males have a bright red pouch.

Rapa Nui Celebrants Performing for the Silver Explorer

In the evening of our visit to Rapa Nui, a pleasant surprise: a lively, raucous dance performance by islanders who paddled their canoes out to our ship. Easter Island had not had tourist visitors, because of covid, for several years, so our visit was both a psychological and financial cause for celebration.

Easter Island Lineup

 The most familiar image of the moai from Rapa Nui/Easter Island is with all 15 in a row. Here are three versions of that scene.

Rapa Nui Quarry: A Broad View

 The hillside quarry contained many heads and some larger pieces, presumably intended to be moved into place, but some social upheaval intervened.

Rapa Nui Quarry Remnants

A few large-ish fragments lying on the ground.

 

Rapa Nui Gift Shop

 Somewhat more restrained than many such souvenir shops.

Rano Kau: The volcanic part of Easter Island

 From Wikipedia: "Rano Kau is a 324 m (1,063 ft) tall dormant volcano that forms the southwestern headland of Easter Island, a Chilean island in the Pacific Ocean. It was formed of basaltic lava flows in the Pleistocene with its youngest rocks dated at between 150,000 and 210,000 years ago. Rano Kau has a crater lake which is one of the island's only three natural bodies of fresh water."

Moai Near the Sea

 

Moai with Flowers

 Rapa Nui is a garden isle, not just a place for displaying mysterious statues.

Moai in a Grassy Field

 Orderly groups of moai, arranged in grazing fields to what purpose?