Rano Raraku

Lonely Planet review

Known as 'the nursery', the Rano Raraku volcano is the quarry for the hard tuff (compacted volcanic ash) from which the moai (statues) were cut. The poignancy and eeriness is palpable as you wander among moai in all stages of progress, studded on the southern slopes of the volcano. Most are upright, but buried up to their shoulders or necks in the earth, so that only their heads gaze across the grassy slopes.

Ask your guide to show you the 21m (69mi) giant moai - the largest ever carved. At the foot of the mountain, and on the seaward plain, lie another 30 moai, all fallen and, with few exceptions, facedown. In the quarries above are about 160 unfinished moai - when work stopped, some 320 had been completed but not yet erected on ahu (ceremonial platforms), or were still in progress.

A unique discovery at Rano Raraku is the kneeling Moai Tukuturi, which was almost totally buried when found. Slightly less than 4m (13ft) high, it now sits on the southeastern slope of the mountain.