It was something that most of us can only dream about...being completely out of cell phone and pager range. Well, to Spud's knowledge, the only ways to avoid being called into work were to either find himself 6 feet under, or travel for 26 hours to a lonely speck of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean: Isla de Pascua, or as we know it, Easter Island.
Of course, there were other reasons for venturing out to the most remote place on the planet; namely to visit one of the most amazing archaeological sites and to see his ancestors: the Moai of Rapa Nui. It was a photo opportunity of a lifetime to have the most famous heads in history in the same shot and Spud wouldn't miss it. As soon as he reached the fertile ground of the quarry at Rano Raraku crater, he planted himself amongst the silent sentinels trapped in the earth and snapped a few with his trusty tripod. It was a beautiful moment.
Spud spent a week scoping out the 64
square mile living museum learning of the lost civilization that once
inhabited the land. His timing couldn't have been better as there
was much activity on the island.
Spud happened upon the local polynesians reenacting the days of the Rapa
Nui birdman cult competition at the ceremonial village of Orongo on the
rim of Rano Kau crater. Being a true student of archaeology, Spud
was well versed in this tradition and offered to partake in the ceremony.
The competition entailed running down the steep cliff face of the crater
to the water's edge and then swimming through shark infested waters to
the small islet of Motu Nui to capture an egg from the nest of a sooty
tern. He would then have to swim back to the Island and then ascend the
crater back to the village to present the egg unbroken. Accomplishing
this would bring great reverence and respect and a moai would be carved
in the winner's honour.
Eager to have his likeness carved forever in stone, Spud was off like a shot, leaving the other competitors in his wake. The potato raced down the side of the crater and jumped headlong into the pounding surf. Unfortunately, he forgot that his numerous body holes restricted his buoyancy and he sunk like a stone to the ocean floor. Somewhat waterlogged, Spud was pulled from the depths of the sea by a couple of scuba divers about 4 hours later. There would be no moai for this potato!
Click Here for more adventures on Easter Island!
See Spud's return trip in 2010!