Chile · Easter Island

The Moai of Easter Island

Nearly nine hundred stone ancestors on a small volcanic island in the Pacific—how they were carved, how they travelled, and where to see them today.

What they are Where to see them FAQ

What the moai are

Stone ancestors, facing inland

Across Easter Island—Rapa Nui to its people—the moai stand on stone platforms along the coast, most of them with their backs to the Pacific. They were carved by the Rapa Nui between roughly 1250 and 1500, and each was understood as the living face, aringa ora, of a deified ancestor, holding the mana that protected the family group settled around it.

That is why they look inland, over the villages and fields they once watched. The platforms beneath them, the ahu, were sacred ground and often burial places. The word moai itself simply means “statue”, and in English it is usually written without a plural “s”.

The famous heads are, in fact, complete figures. Every moai has a torso, long arms carved close to the body and hands resting above the belly; at the quarry of Rano Raraku the bodies are buried in the slope, which gives the place its strange, half-submerged character.

The fifteen moai of Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island

By the numbers

How many moai, how tall, how heavy

The most complete inventory, compiled by archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg and the Easter Island Statue Project, recorded 887 moai. Nearly half—397—remain at the Rano Raraku quarry, 288 reached their platforms, and 92 lie along the ancient roads, apparently left in transit. Later finds bring the total to more than 900.

The average statue stands around 4 m (13 ft) and weighs about 12.5 tonnes. Paro, at Ahu Te Pito Kura on the north coast, is the tallest ever raised—almost 10 m (32 ft) and about 82 tonnes—while the heaviest, at around 86 tonnes, stands on Ahu Tongariki. Still joined to the rock at Rano Raraku, the unfinished figure known as El Gigante would have measured about 21 m (69 ft).

Rano Raraku

Carved from the side of a volcano

Around 95 percent of the moai were cut from the volcanic tuff of Rano Raraku, a small crater near the island’s south-east coast. Carvers worked the rock face with basalt hand tools called toki, shaping the front and sides of each figure while it was still attached to the bedrock, then freeing it along the back and lowering it down the slope.

At the foot of the quarry, statues were stood upright in pits for their final carving—and many never left. Almost four hundred remain on the outer slopes and inside the crater, in every stage of work, many buried to the shoulders by centuries of sediment. Excavations have revealed complete bodies beneath the grass, some with carvings on their backs, and among the figures is Tukuturi, one of the island’s very few kneeling moai.

It is the site we would always visit first. Once you have walked the quarry, every platform on the island reads differently.

Moai heads on the grassy slope of Rano Raraku quarry

How the moai were moved

The statues that walked

How statues weighing twelve tonnes or more travelled as far as 18 km (11 mi) across the island, with no wheels or draught animals, has been debated for well over a century. Rapa Nui oral tradition offers its own answer: the moai walked, moved by mana.

Researchers long assumed wooden sledges or log rollers. The picture shifted when archaeologists Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo, working with Rapa Nui archaeologist Sergio Rapu Haoa, studied the statues lying along the ancient roads—their wide, D-shaped bases and forward lean suggested they had been moved upright. In 2012, a team of eighteen people with three ropes rocked a 4.35-tonne replica from side to side and “walked” it forward over the ground.

The question is not entirely settled, but the walking hypothesis is now the most widely supported, and it also accounts for the broken moai left face-down along the roads, statues that fell on the way and were never raised again.

Pukao and eyes

Topknots of red stone, eyes of coral

Some of the later moai wear a pukao, a cylinder of red volcanic scoria quarried at the small crater of Puna Pau, inland from Hanga Roa. It represents a topknot of hair—where, in Polynesian belief, mana was concentrated—and red carried a sacred meaning across the Pacific. How blocks of several tonnes were set on the statues’ heads is still studied today.

The eyes came last. In the late 1970s, at Anakena, archaeologists including Sergio Rapu Haoa found a moai eye of white coral with a pupil of red scoria, and the eyes may have been set only for ceremonies. At Ahu Ko Te Riku, in Tahai, a single moai has had its eyes restored—the easiest place to see how different a statue looks once it has been given its gaze.

Moai standing at Rano Raraku, Easter Island

Why the moai fell

Toppled, then raised again

When the Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen reached the island in 1722, the moai still stood on their platforms. Over the following century they came down—pulled over during conflicts between rival groups, a period Rapa Nui tradition remembers as huri mo’ai, and possibly by earthquakes. By 1868 not a single moai remained standing on an ahu; only the buried figures at Rano Raraku stayed upright.

Every moai standing on a platform today has been raised again. The first was at Anakena in 1956, followed by William Mulloy’s restorations of Ahu Akivi in 1960 and the Tahai complex in 1970. The most ambitious was Ahu Tongariki: scattered inland by the tsunami of 1960, its fifteen moai were re-erected between 1992 and 1996 by a Chilean team led by Claudio Cristino, with a crane donated by the Japanese company Tadano.

Rano Raraku, the moai quarry

Rano Raraku is the volcanic crater where around 95 percent of Easter Island’s moai were carved. It lies near the south-east coast, about 20 km (12 mi) from Hanga Roa, and nearly 400 moai remain there in every stage of carving, many buried to the shoulders. Entry requires the Rapa Nui National Park ticket, which allows a single visit, and an accredited guide. Allow two to three hours, and choose a clear morning.

Ahu Tongariki, fifteen moai at sunrise

Ahu Tongariki is the largest ceremonial platform on Easter Island, with fifteen moai standing in a row below the Poike peninsula on the south-east coast, about 22 km (14 mi) from Hanga Roa. The platform was destroyed by the tsunami of 1960 and restored between 1992 and 1996. The sun rises behind the statues, so dawn is the classic time to visit; Rano Raraku is a few minutes away by road, and the two are usually combined.

Tahai, sunset near Hanga Roa

Tahai is a ceremonial complex on the coast at the northern edge of Hanga Roa, about 1.5 km (1 mi) from the town centre on foot. It has three restored platforms—Ahu Vai Uri, Ahu Tahai and Ahu Ko Te Riku—and Ko Te Riku holds the only moai on the island with restored eyes. The sun sets over the ocean behind the statues. As of 2026, Tahai is one of the few sites that can be visited without a park ticket or guide.

Anakena, moai beside the beach

Anakena is a white-sand beach on the north coast of Easter Island, about 18 km (11 mi) from Hanga Roa, and in Rapa Nui tradition the landing place of the first chief, Hotu Matu’a. Its platform, Ahu Nau Nau, carries seven moai, four of them with red pukao; buried in sand for centuries, they keep unusually fine detail on their backs. Nearby Ahu Ature Huki holds the first moai re-erected in modern times, in 1956.

Ahu Akivi, the seven moai that face the sea

Ahu Akivi is an inland platform on the western side of Easter Island, about 10 km (6 mi) from Hanga Roa, with seven moai restored by William Mulloy in 1960. They are often described as the only moai facing the ocean, but like the others they face the village that stood in front of them—here, that village lay between the platform and the coast. It is usually quieter than the coastal sites.

Vinapu, the fitted stone platform

Vinapu is a ceremonial site on the south coast of Easter Island, about 4 km (2.5 mi) from Hanga Roa, near the end of the airport runway. Its moai still lie where they fell, but the site is known for the rear wall of one platform, built from large basalt blocks cut and fitted so closely that it is often compared with Inca masonry in Peru.

The Rapa Nui National Park ticket

Most moai sites on Easter Island lie within Rapa Nui National Park, managed since 2017 by the Ma’u Henua indigenous community. The park ticket is valid for ten consecutive days and allows unlimited visits to most sites, but only one entry each to Rano Raraku and Orongo. Since October 2025 it has cost CLP 95,000 for foreign adults; it can be bought online through the official park website or at the Ma’u Henua office in Hanga Roa.

Accredited guides

Visitors to the sites of Rapa Nui National Park must be accompanied by a guide accredited by Ma’u Henua; Tahai and Anakena beach are among the few exceptions. Guides can be booked independently in Hanga Roa, through local operators, or as part of a lodge stay. A Rapa Nui guide adds the family histories, place names and oral traditions that the signage on site does not cover.

Respecting the moai and the ahu

Touching the moai and stepping onto the ahu platforms are prohibited on Easter Island, as the platforms are sacred and often burial sites. The statues are carved from soft volcanic tuff and are easily damaged; in 2008 a visitor who broke off part of a moai’s ear was fined and banned from the island. In October 2022, a wildfire at Rano Raraku caused lasting damage to several moai.

How many days to see the moai

Three full days on Easter Island are enough to visit the main moai sites—Rano Raraku, Ahu Tongariki, Anakena, Tahai and Ahu Akivi—without rushing. Four or five days allow time for Orongo and the Rano Kau crater, the quieter south coast, and a second chance at a clear morning for Rano Raraku and Tongariki, which matters on an island where weather changes quickly.

What are the moai of Easter Island?

The moai are monolithic stone statues carved by the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island (Rapa Nui), in the south-eastern Pacific, between roughly 1250 and 1500. Each moai represented a deified ancestor and was placed on a stone platform called an ahu, usually along the coast, facing inland to protect the community living around it.

What does the word moai mean?

Moai means “statue” in the Rapa Nui language. In English the word is normally used unchanged for both singular and plural: one moai, many moai. The stone platforms the statues stand on are called ahu.

How many moai are there on Easter Island?

The most complete survey, by archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg and the Easter Island Statue Project, recorded 887 moai on Easter Island. Of these, 397 remain at the Rano Raraku quarry, 288 were moved to ceremonial platforms, and 92 lie along ancient transport roads. Later discoveries bring the total to more than 900.

How big is the largest moai?

The tallest moai ever erected on Easter Island is Paro, at Ahu Te Pito Kura, almost 10 m (32 ft) tall and weighing about 82 tonnes; it now lies fallen. The heaviest standing moai, at Ahu Tongariki, weighs around 86 tonnes. An unfinished moai at Rano Raraku, known as El Gigante, would have been about 21 m (69 ft) tall. The average moai is around 4 m (13 ft) and 12.5 tonnes.

Do the moai have bodies?

Yes. Every moai on Easter Island has a full torso, arms and hands carved in relief. The statues on the slopes of Rano Raraku appear to be heads only because their bodies are buried under centuries of accumulated sediment; excavations there have uncovered complete figures, some with carvings on their backs.

Why do the moai face inland?

Most moai on Easter Island stand along the coast facing inland, toward the villages of the family groups they represented and protected, with their backs to the sea. The seven moai of Ahu Akivi are often said to face the ocean, but they also face their village, which lay between the inland platform and the coast.

How were the moai moved?

The most widely supported explanation is that the moai were “walked” upright from the Rano Raraku quarry: teams using ropes rocked each statue from side to side to move it forward. Archaeologists Terry Hunt, Carl Lipo and Sergio Rapu Haoa demonstrated the method in 2012 with a 4.35-tonne replica moved by eighteen people. It matches Rapa Nui oral tradition, which says the moai walked.

What are the red hats on the moai?

The red cylinders on some moai are pukao, carved from red volcanic scoria quarried at Puna Pau, a small crater inland from Hanga Roa. They are thought to represent a topknot of hair, associated in Polynesian belief with mana, rather than a hat. The best-known examples today are on Ahu Nau Nau at Anakena and at Tahai.

Why did the moai fall down?

The moai of Easter Island were toppled between the late 1700s and the mid-1800s, mainly during conflicts between rival Rapa Nui groups, with earthquakes a possible contributing cause. By 1868 no moai stood on any ahu. All the moai standing on platforms today were re-erected by archaeological projects from 1956 onward.

Are the moai a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Yes. The moai are protected within Rapa Nui National Park, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995. Since 2017 the park has been managed by the Ma’u Henua indigenous community of Rapa Nui.

Is there a moai in the British Museum?

Yes. Hoa Hakananai’a, a basalt moai that stood in a stone house at the ceremonial village of Orongo, was taken from Easter Island in 1868 by the British ship HMS Topaze and is displayed at the British Museum in London. Rapa Nui representatives have formally requested its return.

Do you need a guide to see the moai?

Yes, at most sites. Visitors to Rapa Nui National Park must hold a park ticket and be accompanied by an accredited guide at the park’s archaeological sites, including Rano Raraku, Ahu Tongariki and Orongo. As of 2026, Tahai and Anakena beach can be visited without a guide.

When is the best time to see the moai at Ahu Tongariki?

Sunrise is the best time to see Ahu Tongariki, as the sun rises behind the fifteen moai on the island’s south-east coast. Plan to arrive before dawn, around 35 to 45 minutes’ drive from Hanga Roa, and combine the visit with Rano Raraku, a few minutes away.

Easter Island rewards a slower pace—a few unhurried days, the quarry before the platforms, and a Rapa Nui guide who can speak about the ancestors behind each statue. If you are shaping a journey around the island, we are happy to connect you with a local specialist.

For the island as a whole, start with Easter Island. For the ceremony that followed the age of the moai, read Orongo, on the rim of Rano Kau. For a quiet base outside Hanga Roa, read Explora Rapa Nui.

Sources: Jo Anne Van Tilburg and the Easter Island Statue Project; Lipo, Hunt and Rapu Haoa, “The ‘walking’ megalithic statues (moai) of Easter Island”, Journal of Archaeological Science (2013); UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Rapa Nui National Park; Ma’u Henua, Rapa Nui National Park visitor information. Last reviewed September 2026.