One was wide-eyed; another stern.
Their neighbor up the hill appeared winsome.
There are nearly 1,000moai(which means statues in the Rapanui language) on this Chilean territory.
Carved moai stand guard at Ahu Tongariki, on the Chilean island of Rapa Nui.Credit:Rose Marie Cromwell
And then, in March 2020, everything stopped.
At the time, 72 percent of the islands 7,750 residents worked directly in tourism.
In an instant, not only were there no visitors but there was little in the way of supplies.
From left: Pink hibiscus, which flourishes on the island; performers re-enact the carving of moai at Te Moana restaurant, in Hanga Roa.Rose Marie Cromwell
Restaurants, hotels, and meeting halls closed.
Then, after nearly 2.5 years of complete isolation, the territory lifted its self-imposed restrictions.
A few months later, my flight was one of the first to return to Rapa Nui.
The lounge at Nayara Hangaroa, with its views of the Pacific Ocean.Rose Marie Cromwell
Rapa Nui is one of the most isolated places in the world.
From Rapa Nui, you have to travel almost 2,200 miles east to hit mainland Chile.
I had traveled to Rapa Nui twice before the pandemic, but this time felt different.
From left: Pianist Mahani Teave performs at the Rapa Nui School of Music & the Arts; island-grown bananas at a Hanga Roa market.Rose Marie Cromwell
Nayara Hangaroa was another good thing to come out of the pandemic.
Formerly the Hangaroa Eco Village & Spa, it became a Nayara resort after the island closed in 2020.
The winning competitors clan leader would then rule the island for the year to come.
From left: A moai statue on the grassy plains of eastern Rapa Nui; indigenous iconography is part of the décor at Santa Cruz Catholic church.Rose Marie Cromwell
From Rapa Nui, you have to travel almost 2,200 miles east to hit mainland Chile.
From the windy summit, the Pacific Ocean was visible in all directions.
The water, cobalt blue and sun-glinted, seemed to merge into the low clouds.
An Explora guide on the way to the now-extinct Poike Volcano, one of three that formed Rapa Nui.Rose Marie Cromwell
When you look at an empty horizon, he added, it can make you feel incredibly alone.
On the way back to Nayara, we saw dozens of family gardens.
On Hanga Roas main street, Atamu Tekena, I counted a half-dozen vendors selling produce.
The entrance to Explora Rapa Nui.Rose Marie Cromwell
Then she got sick, and we never gardened again until April 2020.
Pacarati received free training and support from a government program called proempleo to farm her small plot.
For me, visiting the national park with a guide was a game-changer.
Souvenirs in Hanga Roa.Rose Marie Cromwell
(In 2021, the island revived a holiday commemorating this event.)
But only some of the almost 1,000moaicreated ever made it to their stone platforms, or ahus.
Nearly 400 remained as works in progress, and some 92 fell in transit.
One of the 26 Varúa guest rooms at Explora Rapa Nui.Rose Marie Cromwell
(Today, visitors can still see many of them lying abandoned where they fell.)
Fifteenmoaistand on it, looking inland with their backs to the ocean.
(She has since added 10 more.)
A horse grazes near Ahu Tahai, on the west coast of the island.Rose Marie Cromwell
Along with music classes, students can take lessons in traditional carving, cooking, and dancing.
How can we reset ourselves for the future?
Performers swooped onto the stage in flowing white gowns.
Anakena Beach, on Rapa Nuiâs northern coast.Rose Marie Cromwell
Teave welcomed the crowd all island residents in Rapanui.
There were shells dangling around her neck and ferns wrapped into a wreath on top of her head.
I met the gregarious Mayor Paoa at his palm-shaded office in Hanga Roa on my final day.
Crops grow in the fertile soil of Rapa Nuiâs interior.Rose Marie Cromwell
I wanted to know how he felt about this moment in the islands history.
How can we reset ourselves for the future?
he mused, handing me a small, sweet banana grown in his backyard.
From left: Guide Alberto “Tiko” Te Ara-Hiva Rapu Alarcon leads cultural tours on Rapa Nui; a view of the eastern Pacific Ocean from Nayara Hangaroa, a 75-room resort.Rose Marie Cromwell
Now we have another chance to organize ourselves, and do it better.
Paoa likened unchecked tourism to an all-consuming obsession one that, pre-pandemic, had come to dominate Rapa Nui.
He hopes other priorities, from cultural pride to robust agriculture, will shape life on the island.
From left: Te Moanaâs outdoor dining area; tuna ceviche at Te Moana.Rose Marie Cromwell
The majesticmoaiwill continue to draw visitors, but they are part of a larger, richer story.
Whatever the future holds, they will continue their vigil: standing, watching, witnessing what comes next.
Nayara Hangaroa: Volcanic stone and cypress logs define the look of this 75-room resort.
