Hanga Te'e (Vaihu)

A coastal ahu where moai lie fallen — raw evidence of clan wars and tsunami damage.

Hanga Te'e (often grouped with Vaihu) presents moai face-down in the grass, topknots scattered like abandoned wheels. The scene shocks first-time visitors, yet archaeologists read it as a timeline: some statues fell during inter-clan fighting, others during 20th-century storms. Walking the shoreline clarifies how close villages lived to the surf — and how vulnerable monuments remain to rising seas.

Photography ethics

Resist the urge to step inside rope lines for "unique" angles — erosion from footsteps is cumulative. Long lenses from the path still convey drama.

Tip

Location