Ahu Tongariki Sunrise Walk
Witness the iconic dawn light strike the fifteen moai of Ahu Tongariki, the largest ceremonial platform on the island, backed by the Pacific Ocean.
- 1
Ahu Tongariki Access Road
Arrive before dawn via the road from Hanga Roa; the pre-sunrise silence at this remote eastern platform is profound and otherworldly.
- 2
Fifteen Moai Platform
The fifteen moai of Tongariki — the largest ahu ever erected — stand in a dramatic line, their backs to the sea, gazing inland over the island.
- 3
Sunrise Light on Moai
At dawn the rising sun strikes the moai from behind the platform, creating a silhouette before warm light slowly illuminates their carved stone faces.
- 4
Reconstructed Platform Base
The ahu was devastated by a 1960 tsunami that scattered the moai inland; a Japanese crane team painstakingly restored it between 1992 and 1996.
- 5
Fallen Moai Display
Near the platform, a toppled moai left unrestored shows the scale of the destruction, its enormous size only apparent when seen lying on the ground.
- 6
Poike Peninsula View
Look east toward the Poike volcanic peninsula, the oldest part of the island, and the wide Pacific from which Polynesian voyagers first arrived.
Walk this route with audio
Stories play automatically as you reach each stop — no tapping needed.
