Free Walking Tour Hanga Roa: Moai, Church and Sea Cave

Your Hanga Roa Walking Tour: Moai, Mission and Birdman Art

1. 1

   Ahu Tahai

   

   Ahu Tahai is really three ceremonial platforms in a row, a complex just north of Hanga Roa and part of the UNESCO-listed Rapa Nui National Park. From north to south you meet Ko Te Riku, Tahai and Vai Ure. Ko Te Riku is the one that stops most people: its single moai was restored with its original elements and is the only one displayed on the island with eyes of white coral and a pukao of red volcanic stone.

   The middle platform, Tahai, also carries just one moai, 4.5 metres tall, yet it matters more than its size suggests: it is considered the oldest ahu on the whole island. Its name means "where the sun hides" in Rapa Nui. Vai Ure, "dark water", lines up five moai beside the coast, and because of the way it faces, the sunset appears behind the figures, which draws many visitors in the evening.

   Look beyond the statues. Around the platforms lie the ruins of an old village with boat-shaped houses, the hare moa, and a stone ramp running down to the sea. You will also find the grave of William and Emily Mulloy. The American archaeologist restored Vai Ure in 1974, and in the distance you can make out two restored platforms at Hanga Kio'e, a project he began in 1972. Tahai is not a museum piece either: it still hosts ceremonies such as the crowning during Tapati.

   This is the one stop on the walk that needs the national park ticket, and it earns it: three platforms, coral eyes and a village layout in one compact area of about 250 square metres. From here it is 1530 m, about 22 minutes, into town to the museum, whose library carries Mulloy's name.

   Hours

   Daily 09:00–21:00

   Price

   95000 CLP foreign adult, 38000 CLP foreign child (7-12) / 40000 CLP national adult, 20000 CLP national child (covers all Rapa Nui National Park sites, 10-day ticket); free under 7

   Location

   Ahu Tahai on Google Maps ↗

2. 2

   Museo Antropológico Sebastián Englert

   

   The Museo Antropológico Sebastián Englert is currently closed, so this is a short stop outside. Still, it explains much of what you see on the island. Founded in 1973, it is named after the Bavarian Capuchin missionary Sebastian Englert, who recorded the language and culture of Rapa Nui. The objects he gathered during that work became the foundation of the collection, which today is run by Chile's National Service of Cultural Heritage.

   What the building holds is remarkable: about 15,000 objects, including the only female moai and one of the coral eyes once set into a moai, the same kind you just saw at Ko Te Riku. There are obsidian tools, wooden statuettes, ancient fish hooks, displays of rongorongo glyphs, a photographic collection and archives of traditional music. Even the natural history side has its surprises, such as two vertebrae of a blue whale.

   The museum also houses the William Mulloy Library, a large collection of scientific writing about the island, named after the archaeologist buried at Tahai. Many important Rapa Nui objects, however, ended up far from here, a legacy of colonial extraction and foreign research: the University of Wyoming Art Museum alone holds 180 small sculptures in volcanic rock, stone and wood assembled by Mulloy.

   From here you walk 1620 m, about 22 minutes, to the church that Englert himself served as its first priest. On the way you pass the Mercado Artesanal de Hanga Roa, the town's craft market.

   Local name

   Museo Antropológico Padre Sebastián Englert

   Status

   Currently closed

   Website

   museorapanui.gob.cl ↗

   Location

   Museo Antropológico Sebastián Englert on Google Maps ↗

3. 3

   Iglesia de la Santa Cruz

   

   The Iglesia de la Santa Cruz on Te Pito Te Henua Street is the Catholic church of Hanga Roa, set in gardens. The parish was founded in December 1937 thanks to the efforts of Sebastian Englert, who became its first priest, and it still belongs to the Diocese of Valparaíso on the mainland.

   Start with the façade, because it tells the whole story of the building. A horizontal band shows Christian symbols: the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the keys to heaven, angels. The columns, though, carry island figures: the birdman Tangata manu, fish and the manutara bird. Remember that bird; you will meet it again at the end of the walk.

   Inside, the church is simple, and the details reward a slow look. Near the entrance stand Archangel Michael and Saint Francis of Assisi. The upper part of the baptismal font is decorated with rongorongo symbols. On the left, the Sacred Heart shows Jesus with a face like a moai kavakava and a reimiro, the crescent-shaped ornament, on his chest; nearby stands a tabernacle carved from a tree trunk. Above the main altar hangs a cross of volcanic stone, its Christ wearing a headdress of shells and bones, and to the right stands Our Lady of Rapa Nui.

   The church is open daily and free, so it is worth half an hour for anyone, and essential if you are curious how island tradition and Catholic faith came together. If you can, hear a service: the mass is in Spanish, but the hymns are sung in Rapa Nui. Then comes the longest leg, 2550 m and about 35 minutes, out to the sea cave near Mataveri.

   Hours

   Mon–Fri around 19:00 (mass); Sun 09:00 & 11:00 (mass); open daily for visiting

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Iglesia de la Santa Cruz on Google Maps ↗

4. 4

   Ana Kai Tangata

   

   Ana Kai Tangata is a sea cave carved out of volcanic rock by the ocean, and it opens straight onto the incoming surf. It is 10 metres high, 5 metres wide and 15 metres deep, its floor covered with irregular boulders and its domed ceiling carrying sound surprisingly well. It is one of the most visited caves on the island, and entry is free during daylight.

   Look up. The paintings in red, white and black mostly show the manutara, the sooty tern, the bird held sacred by followers of the Tangata manu cult, the same one carved on the church columns. You will also spot boats, both Polynesian canoes and European ships, which islanders may have seen as messengers from another world. The pigments were made from plants and minerals from the area around Ahu Vinapu, mixed with shark oil. Look for the taheta, a basin dug into the rock that may have been used to prepare the colours. Water leaking from above and salt from the sea are slowly fading the images, so see them while you can.

   The name is usually translated as "Cave of the Cannibals", but the meaning is unclear. Ana means cave and tangata means man, yet kai can be read several ways: archaeologist Georgia Lee suggested "cave where men eat", "cave where men are eaten" or "cave that eats men". Legends tell of defeated warriors fleeing into caves where the victors caught and ate them, and of feasts in the birdman era. Bones of animals and people, and needles made from human bone, were reportedly found here, along with a carved ceremonial skull, but there is no firm evidence of cannibalism.

   This is where the walk ends: from the oldest ahu to a cave where the birdman's sacred bird still hangs on the ceiling.

   Hours

   Daylight hours

   Price

   Free (open-access site within Rapa Nui; no separate ticket)

   Location

   Ana Kai Tangata on Google Maps ↗

Shorter Ways Through Hanga Roa

Not every day on Rapa Nui has room for the full walk. These versions keep the stops that matter most to you.

The full route

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 4

For a first morning on the island: moai, mission history, church carvings and cave paintings in one line. 1 h 19 min of walking; the national park ticket is needed for Ahu Tahai only.

Without a park ticket

Stops: 2, 3, 4

For anyone who hasn't bought the national park ticket yet or plans to see the moai on another day. Starting at the museum, you walk 57 minutes, and every stop is free: the museum from outside, the church and the cave open to all.

Moai and town

Stops: 1, 2, 3

For a shorter outing that skips the long last leg to the coast. 44 minutes of walking from Ahu Tahai to the church; only Tahai requires the park ticket.

How Long Does This Hanga Roa Tour Take, Tahai to Ana Kai Tangata?

The pure walking time is 1 h 19 min, and the last leg to the cave is the longest at 35 minutes. Give Ahu Tahai about 45 minutes, pause briefly outside the museum, allow half an hour for the church and 20 minutes in the cave, and you are out for about three hours.

A sample morning: leave Ahu Tahai at 09:45, pass the museum at 10:07, reach the church at 10:39 and the cave at 11:44, finishing around 12:05. The ticket-free version from the museum takes about an hour and three quarters with the same pauses, while Tahai to the church alone fits into roughly two hours.

Before You Set Off from Ahu Tahai

• Start and finish: The recommended start is Ahu Tahai, north of the town centre; the walk ends at Ana Kai Tangata. You can join the route at any stop.
• Day and time: The cave is best visited in daylight, so a morning start works well. On a Sunday, an early start at Tahai brings you to the church just before the late morning mass.
• Costs: Ahu Tahai requires the Rapa Nui National Park ticket, which costs Chilean adults less than foreign visitors. The church and Ana Kai Tangata are free.

Common Questions About Walking Hanga Roa