Easter Island: The North Coast

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Easter-Island-The-North-Coast-8We finished filming the first part of Eating up Easter with our cinematographer this week! Although it was a huge challenge to work in an environment where everything happens day by day and minute by minute (i.e. appointments cannot be made with anyone, or certainly will never be kept if they are), we were able to film a ton of great content and capture lots of beautiful b-roll. What an awesome team we have! We’ll share more on that later, but for now we want to show you this beautiful hike we took just before filming began. I can’t believe I got this many photos to load here.

So, here we go…..beware, this might get a little archaeology-sciencey/tour-guidey, but I just can’t help myself. I want to teach you all about this fantastic little place.

Last week we hiked the north coast of Easter Island. While there are roads around the south coast and through the middle of the island, the north coast consists of steep slopes ending in rocky cliffs and is only accessible by foot or on horseback. The coast forms the northern base of the island’s largest and youngest volcano, Terevaka. We got a ride to the end of the road, just a few miles north of town to begin our hike, which ended at Anakena, the only sandy beach, where the road picks up again and heads back to town. With the rocky terrain, a nice stop for lunch and our zigzagging up and down the hillsides looking for interesting remnants of past life, it took us almost 7 hours. A good, full, beautiful, and refreshingly exhausting day.

**Please Note: If you are a tourist considering doing this hike, make sure to hire a guide or go with a local person on the island. There have been cases recently in which tourists have become lost on the hike and had to be rescued during the night.

Easter-Island-The-North-Coast-3Easter-Island-The-North-Coast-2 Continue Reading →

Posted in: Culture, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Islands, Move, our travels, outdoor adventures, Travel \ Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Flight

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Flying and I have a love-hate relationship. I generally hate it. It terrifies me. But I love that it gets me somewhere breathtaking and new in a matter of hours. And, I love looking out the window. On a clear day, I am endlessly reminded of the beauty of our planet and am in awe that we can fly above it. It’s a step away from normal. Up there in flight I let myself be consumed by the wonder of the bigger things and worry less about the little things.

Some favorites from our past few years of travel…

 

Hawaii

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The Andes

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Easter Island

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The Rockies – Utah

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and more…. loving the texture in these.

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Vienna, Austria by night

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Turks and Caicos

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The North Carolina Coast

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(all photos by Pineapple Tree)

 

 

 

Posted in: inspiration, our travels, Ruminations, Travel \ Tagged: , , , , ,

Pretty Pictures of Rapa Nui

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Unfinished statues at Rano Raraku. Most people don't realize that these statues are half buried in the soil.

Unfinished statues at Rano Raraku. Most people don’t realize that these statues are half buried in the soil.

The statue in the foreground traveled to Japan as part of the Osaka Trade Fair in 1990. You can see Rano Raraku, the statue quarry, in the background.

The statue in the foreground traveled to Japan as part of the Osaka Trade Fair in 1990. You can see Rano Raraku, the statue quarry, in the background.

Ahu Tongariki, the largest ceremonial site on the island, stretches almost 300 meters in length and has some of the largest standing statues on it.

Ahu Tongariki, the largest ceremonial site on the island, stretches almost 300 meters in length and has some of the largest standing statues on it.

Rapa Nui 039 Rapa Nui 035 Rapa Nui 036The moai represented ancestor figures to the ancient people. They were not molds of the same, but each was unique as the person they represented.

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The cliffs of Poike with the islet Motu Marotiri nearby, where ancient ceremonies took place for children.

Rano Kau, the South Western crater of the island, is filled with rainwater and was used in ancient times by the town to gather drinking water.

Rano Kau, the South Western crater of the island, is filled with rainwater and was used in ancient times by the town to gather drinking water.

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Three islets seen off the South Western point of the island. Competitors of the Bird Man competition would have to climb down the cliff and swim to the farthest island to search for the first egg of the sooty tern.

A cultural presentation of a warrior about to "Haka Pei," an ancient sport performed by warriors.

A cultural presentation of a warrior about to “Haka Pei,” an ancient sport performed by warriors.

Takona performance. The use of body paint was and is still used to tell stories of the past.

Takona performance. The use of body paint was and is still used to tell stories of the past.

 

A young Rapanui figuring out which "helado" flavor he wants. International foods are now somewhat available on the island, which has sadly lead to health issues for many islanders.

A young Rapanui, dressed in traditional clothes, figuring out which “helado” flavor he wants. International foods are now somewhat available on the island, which has sadly lead to health issues for many islanders. Our documentary, Eating Up Easter, will focus on some of that.

 

Posted in: Culture, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), inspiration, Islands, our travels, Travel \ Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Hitting Restart

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We just returned from a trip to the boundary waters canoe area (BWCA) in northern Minnesota. Five days, four nights. Paddling canoes, portaging, or carrying our canoes and gear from lake to lake, seeking out the best campsites, swimming, eating, sleeping. Resetting ourselves back to a simple life. A life where all that matters is moving our bodies, obtaining water, setting up and taking down shelter, and cooking food. The basics. No cell service, no distractions. When we simplify our life to that degree all of the nonsense sloughs off, all the desires, all the “I needs” that are really “I wants,” all the things in our life: the TV’s, the computers, the cars, the houses, that cute dress, those perfect shoes. It all just falls away so suddenly we don’t even realize it happened.

When we emerge from the woods, jump back in our car and find ourselves home again with all of our stuff, there’s this distance we feel from it all, this sense of excess when we see all the things we’ve accumulated around us and we wonder why it all seemed so important before. It’s like hitting a reset button. It gives us a chance to reevaluate. Do we really need all this? Is this what works for us? Do we really need that car, that house? Do I really need to turn on the TV or the computer? I hesitate to pick up my phone and check in with the world because I know how fast that restart can be undone. But eventually I do, I have to, and eventually our simplified ways, our desire for less falls further and further into the background of our daily lives. Once again, we find ourselves back where we began. And that’s when we know it’s time for another restart. This is exactly how we feel every time we return from Easter Island and lately our challenge has been to find ways to keep that feeling alive in our household for as long as possible. But, still, the best way to return to the basics and regain perspective is to just get away from it all whenever we can.

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And when we do, we have nothing better to do than to watch the world in all its glory and relish every sunset and every sunrise, every transition from dawn to day to dusk to starlight, the sound of silence, the softness of the wind against our skin, the calls of the wildlife, the creaks of the trees, the sounds of all the beings all around us. And for those moments I can really feel, with every cell in my body, just how wondrous this life is.

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