Specifically in the pacific

A 5 hour flight from Santiago doesn't get you too close to Australia, but it does give you enough time to watch the Hangover 2 & Mission Impossible (yes they made another one). More importantly it also gets you to one of the remotest inhabited islands in the world where on arrival you walk onto the tarmac to be greeted by dancers and garlands of flowers. I've also listened to tales of the creation (from an old chap in Spanish, involving a lot of eggs) and seen some of the mysteries of the world
Rapa Nui (Easter Island - so called as the dutch landed on easter sunday in the C18) is home of the Moai statutes that proliferate the island.  Without these, the place would still be remarkable, I can hear the waves crashing from my campsite as the temperature dips a few degrees at night to the low 20s.

hire car & me at Tongariki

Note the 4x4 hire car (32) which got a good testing today

Ranu Raraku

One of the most spectacular spots on the island, Ranu Raraku - the ´birthplace´ of the Moai where the statues were originally hewn from the rocks, most never made it to there intended final destination.

Tongariki

Ahu Tongariki comprises 14 Moai, restored in the 90s with Japanese funding having been toppled by a combination of civil wars and a tsunami in the 60s

Bird men houses at Orongo

The Bird man cult of the mid 19th centuary involved an annual race to collect the first egg of the season from a nearby island, the winner ´enjoying´ a years isolation.  They lived in stone houses with incredibly small entrances

sunrise at Tongariki 

sunset at Ahu O´rongo

Tongariki

Rano Raraku

pre sunset golden hour - Akivi

sunset - Ahu Vai Uri