Palm trees, pale coral sand, an unusually calm sea. This alone would make Anakena Bay an exception for an island that is predominantly rocky, barren and beaten by raging waves. But what makes the beach really special is the row of Moai, lava stone statues, placed to watch over the ocean in front.
According to legend, it was here that Hotu Matu’a, leading a group of canoes, landed for the first time and founded the first settlement on Rapa Nui. Afterwards, the beach became a place of worship and a meeting place for clans, as archaeological excavations show.
