Lydia Schrandt is a writer, editor, and award-winning photographer currently based in Houston. She’s a contributor for USA TODAY 10Best and serves as the first chair of the Editors Council of the Society of American Travel Writers. Her work has appeared in Draft, Time Out Beijing, Travel+, USA TODAY, San Francisco Chronicle, and others.
Lydia Schrandt is a writer, editor, and award-winning photographer currently based in Houston. She’s a contributor for USA TODAY 10Best and serves as the first chair of the Editors Council of the Society of American Travel Writers. Her work has appeared in Draft, Time Out Beijing, Travel+, USA TODAY, San Francisco Chronicle, and others.
Hi, I'm Lydia!Lydia Schrandt is a writer, editor, and award-winning photographer currently based in Houston. She’s a contributor for USA TODAY 10Best and serves as the first chair of the Editors Council of the Society of American Travel Writers. Her work has appeared in Draft, Time Out Beijing, Travel+, USA TODAY, San Francisco Chronicle, and others.
Hi, I'm Lydia!Lydia Schrandt is a writer, editor, and award-winning photographer currently based in Houston. She’s a contributor for USA TODAY 10Best and serves as the first chair of the Editors Council of the Society of American Travel Writers. Her work has appeared in Draft, Time Out Beijing, Travel+, USA TODAY, San Francisco Chronicle, and others.
The iconic moai statues that guard the island’s coastline are famous around the world and the focal point of one of the most fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The colossal stone figures are the work of the native Rapa Nui people. Here are a few statue sites you shouldn’t miss.
Rano Raraku is where it all began. This stone quarry is where most of the island’s statues were created from solidified volcanic ash before being placed around the island. The remains of nearly 400 incomplete moai still litter the site, which is also home to El Gigante, the largest known moai at 71 feet (21 meters) tall.
This white-sand, palm-lined beach was where King Ariki Hotu Matu’a first landed on Easter Island. It soon became a spiritual center for the Rapa Nui people, and seven of their moai can be seen overlooking the beach.
The seven moai standing guard at Ahu Akivi are unique in that they’re the only statues on the island that face the ocean, even though their location is toward the island’s interior. Restored in the 1960s, these are also some of the most visited statues on the island.
Situated on the southeastern coast, Ahu Tongariki is the island’s largest and most striking site, with 15 moai positioned on a 200-foot-long ceremonial platform set between Rano Raraku Volcano and the sea. Each statue is unique, and the largest stands more than 46 feet (14 meters) tall.
The Tahai ceremonial site includes a single moai with unique painted eyes and a pukao headdress, alongside a "family" of five moai. American archaeologist William Mulloy helped restore the site in 1974, and he’s now interred here. Visit at dusk when the moai are silhouetted in front of the setting sun.
