This is the southeasternmost point of the “Polynesian Triangle,” a region of the Pacific Ocean with three island groups at its corners -- Hawaii (formerly the “Sandwich Islands"), Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and New Zealand (Aotearoa). At the center of the triangle is Tahiti, with Samoa and Tonga in the west. This is the way most geographers define Polynesia, where we have been cruising for most of the past month.
Crystal Symphony arrived at Easter Island (locally known as Rapa Nui) very early this morning. Captain Larsen said that he had increased the speed of the ship overnight, because there was a medical emergency on board and the person had to be transferred to a hospital immediately. We looked outside and it was still dark, but we could see the lights on Easter Island. We don’t know when and how the transfer of the person took place, but we do know we were anchored opposite Hanga Roa, the main town and capital of Easter Island, at least four hours earlier than originally scheduled. We will remain anchored here for two full days. Hanga Roa is located in the southern part of the island's west coast, in the lowlands between two extinct volcanoes.
We were very fortunate, as the weather was absolutely beautiful today -- a little windy, but that’s part of life in the tropics. As you can see in the photo, this is a volcanic island, with rolling hills, many small mountains, and rocky soil.
Easter Island had long been on our “Bucket List” of places to visit. We’ve read a lot of speculation over the years on how and why the Polynesian inhabitants carved and then moved their world-renowned, massive stone statues (Moai) around on this fairly large, hilly island.
For our first day on Easter Island, Crystal had set up a special World Cruise Shore-Side Event, exclusively for full-world-cruisers. There weren’t that many of us – about 75 – who participated, along with select ship officers. We met in the Starlite Club at 2:15 p.m. to take the tender boat to shore. The ride wasn’t as bad as we had expected. Yes, there were a lot of waves, and we bounced around some, but docking the tender wasn’t a problem on the island.
We were transported in several 20-person minibuses to the Tahai Lookout Point for a brief photo opportunity at the top of a hill overlooking the site of several Moai platforms. While still onboard the Symphony, we could actually see the same Moai at this site from the balcony of our stateroom. However, today it was a little frustrating, because we weren’t given enough time to walk down the hill and get a closer look at the Moai. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to do that tomorrow.
From there we road on a rough, dirt road to the newly built Toki Rapa Nui Music & Arts School. This is a wonderful organization that was formed within the past five years, to focus on preservation of the music and arts culture of the island. We were told that their goal is to offer free lessons for children in all types of music from classic to the unique Rapa Nui musical traditions. There are currently about 100 students training in violin, cello and ukulele; but the idea is to expand into more disciplines that help preserve the local Polynesian heritage. The school has received assistance from volunteers all over the world and is, environmentally, self-sustaining.
We walked through their classroom facilities and then were seated under a large, open-sided tent behind the school. We sampled a few native appetizers, and there was a welcome address by Cruise Director Shane Morley, followed by a salute and toast by Captain Larsen, Master of the Vessel. Hotel Director Herbert Jaeger was also stage center.
Shane introduced Mahani Teave, one of the primary advocates and driving forces for the school. She is a native of Easter Island and was, we were told, the first professional piano performer of Rapa Nui origin, gaining international recognition during her still short musical career.
Mahani told us that when she was a child, she began to study with the only teacher and the only piano on the island. But one day the teacher left, and classes were over. Her family moved to “the mainland” of Chile, so she could continue her studies. She eventually went to the United States and Germany to study and has now become one of the most recognized Chilean concert pianists. She had a dream to start a school of music on her home island and started a small school that grew quickly, especially through donations of land by co-founder, musician, and construction engineer Enrique Icka and a design for the school building by an American architect. The “self-sufficient” building design allows for obtaining electricity from the sun and the wind; water from the rain; as well as heating and cooling from the sun and the earth.
We enjoyed an ancestral chant performance by young children and then an orchestral suite by the Children’s Orchestra. This was followed by a wonderful solo classical piano performance by Mahani Teave on an old upright piano.
Last on the program was a lengthy and energetic dance performance by a native folk group. This time, as opposed to previous Polynesian performances we’ve seen on this voyage, the men dancers were featured (in several warrior dances) more so than the women.
We skipped the Chopin piano concert (Panos Karan) at 6:00pm in the Starlite Club and “French Night” (Scott Mitchel and Melissa Maugran), also in the Starlite Club, at 10:30pm. You just can't attend everything that's offered on this ship. However, we did go out on our balcony and look at the stars for a while, as well as the full moon, and the bright lights from Easter Island (Rapa Nui).
Jim & Ginny
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