Ahu Akivi
NileGuide Expert Says:
These are the most iconic of the very iconic moai, the seven that face the ocean, and probably the most well-known.Address:
NileGuide Expert tip:
The sun sets directly in front of these moai at the spring and autumn equinox.Description:
The seven moai at Ahu Akivi are some of the best-known of all the moai on Easter Island, because rather than being on the coast, they face the ocean. They are the only moai with this privileged positioning. Like all the other moai that are standing today, these were restored and re-erected in recent times, in this case in 1960 by an American-Chilean archaelogical team, with support from the Fulbright foundation. They were also the first site to be restored, starting with the ahu, the low stone platform on which they are situated, and then the moai, or statues themselves. Moai are monolithic human figures with disproportiately large heads.
The statues, their purpose and how they were transported and erected in the various sites around the island remains a mystery in modern times, with theories including using wooden braces to drag them into position, to piling rocks beneath them to stand them up. Since 95% of the stone used to carve the moai is from Rano Raraku, the stone for these moai probably is as well.
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