Tahai

Some 887 statues, or moai, have been inventoried on or from Easter Island. About a quarter of these were standing in place all around the island. About half of the total were still in the volcano/caldera/quarry area of the island where they were carved out of the volcanic rock.  The other quarter were scattered around, probably on their way to placements. These moai, or statues, are the big tourist draw here.

Tahai was a ceremonial complex, possibly one of the older ones on the island. The statues here were restored to their original placements by an American archaeologist, William Mulloy, in 1974. The restoration included the three 'ahus' or platforms that the statues stand upon, plus houses, and chicken coops. These photos will give you an idea of the look of a typical original statue placement.

Mulloy restored three ahus: the one on the left with five moais, and the next two with one moai each.  The middle one, at the end of the water inlet is a bit hard to see in this photo.

Below is the Ko Te Riku moai, which is the only moai on the island with its eyes restored. Very few moai have had their topknots restored as well, perhaps ten percent.

Below are the five Ahu Van Ure moais.