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On a visit to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), you can easily fill your time on tours to meet the famous moai of the island. However, you will be rewarded by leaving time to explore Hanga Roa, the only town on Rapa Nui. Whilst the town is not filled with attractions per se, it is full of charm and allows you to soak up the Polynesian vibe and culture. Here are some recommendations for spending a beautiful day in Hanga Roa.
Depending on where your accommodation is, you might be close enough to walk to Hanga Piko. If you are close enough to go on foot, then start walking and soak up the Polynesian vibes straight away.
On the way from our accommodation, Hotel Hare Uta, we spotted: chickens, horses, old Coca Cola signage, a disco, an egg distributor (because there are a lot of chickens on the island!) and turtle decorations on the houses, shops and cafés, such as, Tortuga Café.
We passed Mataveri International Airport which was quiet and calm in the absence of any incoming or departing flights – a far cry from the carnival atmosphere and chaotic welcome that we’d received when our flight landed.
The town feels lush – filled with replanted palm trees, and beautiful tropical flowers in a multitude of bright colours.
Hanga Piko means ’hidden bay’ and the water is shallow here – only 4 meters deep. As a result, only flat-bottomed boats can enter and tie up in this small, sheltered harbour or small port. As the island needs to import a lot of its produce (it’s too cold to grow coconuts and other tropical foods for example), then finding safe places to bring the goods on shore is crucial. Hanga Piko is one of the places where small boats can go and collect provisions and cargo from larger ships anchoring offshore.
In the water, around the boats we spotted several large sea turtles swimming around and eating the sea grass. People were lined up on the quayside waiting to spot the turtles rise to the surface for air
Behind the harbour, is a large grassy area overlooking the bay. When we arrived, there were numerous outrigger canoes lined up on the grass. Outrigger canoes are those with two side arms fixed to a buoy to help the canoes float in rough seas. Sometimes you can see people training on the water in the outrigger canoes, a popular sport on the island.
At the entrance to the field, look for the petroglyph of an elongated Birdman on a stone.
Ahu Riata – at Ahu Riata, you can start to meet the moai of Rapa Nui straight away. Overlooking the grassy hillside on the edge of the bay is a 40-meter-long ceremonial platform (an Ahu) featuring a single moai which was re-erected in 1998 to oversee the village of Hanga Piko. The moai is 5 meters tall and weighs 30 tonnes. Look closely and you will clearly see the carving of a loincloth on the moai.
Sleeping Moai – walk up the grassy hill from Ahu Raita, and you’ll discover a fallen face-up moai who looked like he was having a peaceful sleep. What this highlighted to us, was exactly how the moai can be found all over the island, even outside of the designated National Park area.
If you like plane spotting, then Hanga Piko is the place for you as it lies right under the flight path for the airport. That said, you need to be lucky to see a plane go right overhead as there are so few flights!
From the harbour of Hanga Piko, follow the road around the coast towards Hanga Roa and enjoy the views of the ocean crashing onto the black volcanic rocks.
Sculpture trail – you can also enjoy a sculpture trail along the coastal road. The sculptures are mainly of moai, turtles and stones decorated with Polynesian designs and Birdman motifs, set against a stunning coastal backdrop and green hilly interior.
The first notable sculpture is at Mirador de las Olas and features a black moai head with white painted eyes.
Signpost – there is a signpost called Rosa de los Vientos showing the very long distances between Rapa Nui and anywhere else in the world!
Ahu Mata Ote Vaikava – in addition to the sculptures along the coastal road, you will come across a single, tall moai standing proud on the grassy banks with palm trees behind it. The moai appears to be looking sideways rather than directly over the ocean. It has a sign naming the crumbling platform and moai, but I struggled to find out any other information about it. You can view it as a ‘bonus moai’ to find outside of the formal restored sites on the island.
From Ahu Mata Ote Vaikava, signs of town life start appearing – low-rise buildings and small independent cafes and restaurants.
The town stretches back inland for a couple of blocks from the coastal road, so there is plenty more to explore after this short walk. The layout of the town is a little confusing, but it’s easy enough to find your way back to the coastal road.
Note – there are no house numbers on Rapa Nui, so directions will be offered in relation to the town’s points of interest.
Hanga Roa means ‘wide bay’ and from this point it’s easy to see the geography of the town spreading out along this west facing bay.
Pea Beach (pronounced “pay-a”) is a small surf beach to the south of Hanga Roa town centre. The beach has warning signs in relation to the sea turtles saying: “Protect Me – Avoid touching and feeding me”.
The restaurant called Pea RestoBar directly overlooks the Pea Beach, making it a good place to sit and watch the surfers for a while, and look for turtles in the water below the restaurant. That said, choose this option for the view and the vibe, rather than the gastronomic experience!
Behind Pea Beach, on the opposite side of the coastal road, is the Tourist Information Office run by Sernatur (Chile’s tourism company). Note that it is only open on weekdays, and that it shuts for 2 hours over lunchtime. If you particularly want to visit, then perhaps google the opening times before you visit.
Passport stamps – you can ask the staff at the Tourist Office to stamp your passport with a Rapa Nui stamp. When we were arriving, a lady was locking up the Tourist Office for lunchtime; she asked if she could help and kindly reopened the office to give us the passport stamps – very kind!
Continue along the coastal road and just past Pea Beach, you’ll find 3 moai in a row, starting with the ceremonial platform Ahu Tautira supporting a solo standing moai looking inland. Make sure to adhere to National Park rules here as fines apply if you step on the ceremonial platform which comes right up to the footpath.
It’s neighbour is Ahu Hotake, a small platform with a single moai looking up the street of Te Pito o Te Henua.
At the crossroads you’ll find the small Plaza Hotamatua with a single moai re-erected to look over Hanga Roa Harbour. This moai was transported from the interior of the island in 1938 to honour Hotu Matu’a, the first Polynesian King to arrive on Rapa Nui.
Half of the island’s fishing fleet ties up here at Hanga Roa harbour, the other half using Hanga Piko. This is also from where the diving boats and tours depart.
Spend a few minutes checking the clear turquoise waters of the harbour for sea turtles swimming around the boats, particularly early in the morning and later in the day. That said, we saw three turtles in the harbour around lunchtime.
There is a small strip of shops, cafes and dive companies along the harbourside including Mitkafe, a good place to grab an ice-cream if you are looking for refreshments.
On the opposite side of the coastal road from Ahu Tautira and Ahu Hotake, is a large community football pitch. If there are games going on, stop to watch the action and enjoy a slice of local life.
Alternatively, keep heading along the coastal road for a few minutes until you reach Hanga Vare Vare, a sheltered swimming pool in the sea with a seating area and public restrooms. The pool is surrounded by palm trees and makes a pretty place for a dip. Note – take water shoes as the floor is slippy due to moss on the rocks under the water.
Just beyond Hanga Vare Vare, is a large expanse of grass which serves as an event space for festivals and community events, such as the annual Tapati Rapa Nui festival in February. We were drawn to this space by the sound of live music when we visited; on arrival we discovered a primary school event where the children were dressed up in white feathered costumes, influenced by the island’s historic Birdman competition. Families were having picnics around the grounds, and the kids were playing and having fun.
4 minutes further along the road is the Easter Island Cemetery which includes the graves of several notable people, including Father Sebastian Englert, a missionary who was influential on the island in the 20th century, and Maria Angata who led the short-lived uprising against the exploitative sheep farming company (1915).
Retrace your steps back to Ahu Hotake and walk inland, up Te Pito o Te Henua towards the Church, Inglesia de la Santa Cruz, at the top of the road. Along the way, shop for souvenirs or pop into one of the many local craft shops.
The post office is on this road, next to the fire station, and is the only place on the island to sell postage stamps. Make sure to send some postcards from here!
About halfway up the road, you could take a detour and turn right along Hanga Roa’s main street Atamu Tekena to find the Feria Artesanal (craft market), eateries and other shops, before returning and continuing up hill. If needed, the LATAM offices are on Atamu Tekena as are several tattoo studios should you wish to get a Polynesian design or fake tattoos for a photo shoot. I managed to find a shop selling fantastic posters with striking designs for each year of the Tapati Rapa Nui festival.
We passed a small area with protest banners in support of Rapa Nui independence from Chile. The history of Rapa Nui is a turbulent one and so it is no surprise that there is a movement for independence. However, our tour guide explained that opinions on independence are mixed, as some think it’s better to leave the politics and administration to the Chilean government as long as they make the right decisions for the island, such as giving the Rapanui the authority to run the Rapa Nui National Park themselves.
The Church of the Holy Cross is the island’s Catholic Church, which has stood on this site for almost 100 years. Until recently, it was Rapa Nui’s only church. The outside of the church is beautifully decorated with a mix of Christian and Rapa Nui symbolism – it is a lovely blending of cultures and makes an attractive façade.
If you want to look inside, then the church is usually open but holds a Mass on Saturday afternoon and two masses on Sunday mornings. There are beautiful wood carvings inside the church, including the pews, a pulpit with carved wooden fish decoration, and cross. It also had some lovely stained glass windows featuring Birdman motifs. Other than that, the church is relatively plain, but the wood finishes made it feel warm and welcoming.
There’s an indoor craft market on left hand side of the Church should you wish to look.
If you’d like a longer walk, then from the Church of the Holy Cross, it’s a 30-minute walk to the Tahai Complex, just north along the coast from central Hanga Roa. Alternatively, take a taxi instead.
The Tahai Complex is one of the few ceremonial platforms which you can currently visit without a guide. The area features:
It is however, one of the loveliest places to watch the sunset on Rapa Nui, which is why I’ve written about this in a separate blog.
The Rapa Nui Museum is found in Hanga Roa, near the Tahai Complex, however it was ‘temporarily closed’ when we visited in November 2025. Apparently, this is due to a land-ownership dispute, which is a shame as the museum was said to give a good overview of the island’s history, to have a female moai figure and a coral eye recovered from under the Ahu Nau Nau at Anakena Beach. Hopefully the museum will reopen soon.
There are many places to eat in the town of Hanga Roa. Our tour guide recommended Kanahau which sits on the coastal road overlooking the ocean.
It was a great place to sit and watch Polynesian life unfold in front of you – free roaming dogs, quad bikes and mopeds loaded with passengers, Susukis (the car of choice on Rapa Nui), outrigger canoes on the water, surfers, tropical shirts and flowers in the hair. Oh, and the food was delicious as well!
If you fancy a livelier end to your time in Hanga Roa then book a performance of the Cultural Ballet Kari Kari on Atamu Tekena. If you arrive early, then there are opportunities to get your face painted and try on flower garland or feather headdresses for photos.
Then, collect a cocktail and take your seats ready for an eye-popping dance performance. The dance troupe has musicians and then male and female dancers who take turns to perform high tempo and more relaxed numbers. There is also an opportunity to get on stage with the dancers at the end! It is vibrant, verging on over-stimulating, but lots of fun!
Whilst the Kari Kari dance troupe is the most established one on Rapa Nui, there are plenty of other dance shows available, such as Varua Ora or Te Ra’ai. There is a dinner option with Kari Kari but we just went for the drinks and dance show.
If you have time on Rapa Nui to book activities beyond exploring the moai, there are lots of options such as: horse riding, diving and boat trips, mountain biking, surfing and star gazing.
In terms of facilities, Hanga Roa has 2 banks (both with ATMs), a hospital, post office, supermarkets, and pharmacies, if needed.
The walking route outlined above does not take very long to walk on one go, however you will want to take your time and make plenty of stops along the way – photo stops, time to admire the moai, coffee and food stops, people watching and shopping.
You’ll probably return to Hanga Roa several times during your stay on Rapa Nui:
So, enjoy a day exploring the mysteries of the island, and meet the moai, then return to Hanga Roa for some magic into the evening.
Let Rapa Nui cast its spell on you slowly!
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