Motu Nui

Coordinates: 27°12′05″S 109°27′10″W / 27.20139°S 109.45278°W / -27.20139; -109.45278
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Motu Nui, with the smaller Motu Iti and the sea stack of Motu Kao Kao. Picture taken September 2018, from Orongo on the Rano Kau volcano, around 250 meters (820 feet) above sea level.

Motu Nui (large island in the

Point Nemo, the place in the ocean that is farthest from land, the other two being Ducie Island, one of the Pitcairn Islands, and Maher Island in Antarctica.[1][2]

Map including Motu Nui (lower left)

The ritual of the "Bird Man" cult was a competition to collect the first egg of the

manutara. This took place starting from Motu Nui where the Hopu (representatives from each clan) waited for the sooty terns to lay their first eggs of the season. The Hopu who seized the first egg raced to swim back to Easter Island, climbed the cliffs to Orongo and presented the egg to their sponsor in front of the judges at Orongo. This gave their sponsor the title of Tangata manu
and great power on the island for a year. Many Hopu were killed by sharks or by falling. The winning clan gained certain rights, including the collecting of eggs and young birds from the islets.

Motu Iti
(near Motu Nui).

Motu Nui was scientifically surveyed by the

Oxford, England
.

Although the Tangata Manu cult's rituals have long since been discontinued (the last competition known to have taken place in 1888), current visitors to Rapa Nui often enjoy the beauty of the Motus via small boat excursions from Hanga Roa, the island's only town. The diving in the sea between Motu Nui and Kau Kau is exceptional, and it is a highly sought-after scuba diving location for dive enthusiasts from around the world. Once heavily populated with sharks, the coastal waters of Rapa Nui are now much safer, due in large part to overfishing.

References

  1. ^ "Where is Point Nemo?".
  2. ^ "Point Nemo, revisited".

External links

27°12′05″S 109°27′10″W / 27.20139°S 109.45278°W / -27.20139; -109.45278