Discovering More to Rapa Nui Beyond Mysterious, Magical Moai

Days 40-43, 2026 Grand World Voyage

Thursday to Sunday, Feb. 12-15, 2026; Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and At Sea

Who needs to pay a hundred dollars or so for a personal guide on Rapa Nui, otherwise known as Easter Island? Not us – shortly after Elaine and I stepped ashore, a local resident joined us and led us along the coastal path, residential streets and even the lane next to the island’s airstrip. After walking a couple of miles with him, we stopped at a local restaurant to enjoy pisco sours and he rested in the sun, perhaps concerned that we would need guidance back to the tender pier.

(Even after all our time together, I somehow failed to get a photo of our guide, but my friend Martha graciously shared hers.)

Easter Island is one of those hit-or-miss ports. It has a small harbor cut into the rocky shore, generally large enough for only one tender at a time. If the wind and swells are unfavorable, our tenders could end up on the rocks so we have to miss the port.

We were lucky that today’s relatively calm waters and wind resulted in the best tender transits I’ve seen here. Because of the small harbor, the tendering process always is slower than usual.

Most of the stone statues, or moai, are spread across the island in a national park, which requires a $100 fee to visit. But one lone moai overlooks the harbor. It is fun to see crew members rush over for photos during short breaks from helping passengers navigate the steep narrow steps from the stone tender platform.

And everywhere are small replicas of the ancient moai, decorating houses and shops or just along the roadway.

Colorful flowers and even bananas thrive in the tropical rainforest climate.

The general opinion seems to be that we have a 50-50 chance of stopping, but I’ve been lucky enough to make it three out of three. Last year, I took the same tour that I took five years earlier, circling the island to see groups of moai, along a beach, near a quarry and in a line of 15 – always facing away from the water toward the island. Not needing to repeat the tour a third time, I explored the harbor side of the main town, Hanga Roa, with its colorful fishing boats and sea kayaks.

We quickly discovered that the hilltop restaurant we remembered so fondly from 2020 was closed.

But down the street and around the harbor was another place with even better food. We knew that because local residents sat at most of the tables on the open-air deck. Elaine left for an afternoon tour after enjoying a pisco sour, but sent other friends to join me under the watchful eye of our “guide.”

Before leaving the island, I saw one of the infrequent LATAM Airline flights pass just overhead. Because the airstrip was an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle, NASA paid for an extension of the runway. This island is so isolated that I forget that you can visit by air as well as by cruise ship.

Easter Island is more than 2,100 miles from the coast of Chile, so we had four days at sea, with two one-hour time changes, to get here. We don’t need to worry about being bored – special lecturers are offering presentations on explorers, the deep sea and even the motivation behind infamous spies. The shipboard shops, photo studio and spa have special offerings; and ever-popular trivia continues three times a day.

It’s holiday season on the ship, with a formal Valentine’s Dinner and dance last Saturday. The Pinnacle Grill has themed pop-up dinners a couple of times a week; we enjoyed an Asian dinner tonight there tonight.

And now they have expanded into special lunches. On Friday we had an Easter Island lunch. This week we’ll indulge in a Mardi Gras lunch followed by a French Bistro lunch two days later. During the last three world cruises, we’ve come to love any special meal created by Chef Tiffany, so we sign up every time.