Rapa Nui's rocky shoreline and sparsely vegetated headlands are typical of Pacific islands.
Masked Boobies fly along the coast just past comfortable binocular distance.
Originally, the great stone statues included reddish caps of a softer stone.
The stone hats are over two meters/yards tall.
<span class="bird">Chimango Caracaras</span> <span class="species">Milvago chimango</span> are common and widespread on Rapa Nui.
Statues can be seen littered along the slopes of the quarry.
These restored Moai face away from the sea, as they would have done originally.
Stone heads in at Rano Raraku.
The outline of a ship can be seen on the front of this statue.
Stone head at Rano Raraku.
Every Moai is distinctive.
Every Moai is distinctive.
As much work went into the elaborate bases as into the heads themselves.
A close-up of a pair of Moai.
These Moai have had their tufa caps restored.
Even the backs of the status are decorated.
The bases the Moai rest on required at least as much construction effort. Sometimes, you can see designs on the facing stones.
A small head used as a stone.
Rapa Nui is so far from any mainland its skys are very clear.
The statues are more beautiful than pictures convey.
This statue is almost entirely buried.
A few of the hundreds of status around the quarry site.
Despite its evident size, most of this statue is probably underground.
This statue has not been completely cut away from the stone.
Stone heads at Rano Raraku.
The design of this statue is unique, found nowhere else on Rapa Nui.