Also found ourselves in the back row of the plane so were expecting a wait to get off (from row 45), but because the airport here is tiny (one plane at a time) and steps are used, we were able to disembark promptly - then wait for the cases to be pushed through the hole in the wall.
The hotel is very nice; views over the South coast.
Our first afternoon hike was a reasonably gentle affair called caves and cliffs. We started by going to one of the Moai sites - the seven explorers - which is the only site which faces the sea. These monuments face due west so they are aligned with the sun on the equinox. We then walked over a lava field toward the sea. The lava field is one that has 'tubes' that run beneath it - where molten lava ran below the top surface. This is what creates the caves - entrances are where the crust has collapsed. These areas provide shelter and effective 'greenhouses' for crops. We walked through one of these tubes for about 200m emerging down the slope and through a self seeded fig tree! At the coast, we re-entered one of the tubes which vented in two places through the cliff face. Then we moved on along the cliff top with views over the South Pacific. Next we went to another Moai site - this one has the only monument with eyes and headress in place. The eyes are white coral and obsidian. A sundowner looking over the main village on the island set the seal on a good first expedition.
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