Our expedition began after a 2,300 mile, 5½ hour flight from Santiago. Easter Island, known as Rapa Nui by the indigenous people, is one of the most remote in the world. It was discovered and settled by Polynesian people about 800 CE (though other studies point to as early as 300-400 CE or as late as 1200 CE). The island forms the southeastern-most point of the giant Polynesian Triangle (other vertices are Hawaii and New Zealand). Voyaging canoes moved southward, northward and southeast from Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands to ultimately inhabit these three most remote points of Polynesia. Though there is no written history, oral history and archaeological evidence indicates that the giant moai were carved from about 1000 to 1650 CE and made to commemorate important ancestors. The standing moai range in height from 10' to over 30' and weigh 5 to over 10 tons. Some unfinished ones are even larger. Clan wars started and continued from the late 17th in the mid 19th century. During this time all the standing moai were toppled and the Birdman Ritual Competition took center stage. The Tangata Manu, the Bird Man,was the winner of a competition to collect the first sooty tern egg of the season from the nearby islet of Motu Nui, swim back to Rapa Nui, and climb the sea cliffs of volcano Rano Kau to the clifftop village of Orongo. Depending on the version of the oral tradition, either the winner would select and marry a young woman from a different clan, or the winner's village patron would become the island leader for the next year. This was all to help establish and maintain peaceful relationships among the clans. European arrivals radically changed the island and it's inhabitants. Dutch explorers first discovered the island on Easter Day in 1722, hence the name. The estimated population at this time was about 3,000. The second visit was by two Spanish ships in 1770. This was followed by James Cook in 1774. After this the population decreased significantly as a result of introduced diseases and slavery. By 1877, there were just 111 Rapa Nui left on the island. Today that has climbed back to about 3,000.