Ahu Tongariki is the most photographed site on Easter Island and the one that delivers everything visitors come for in a single frame. Fifteen moai of varying heights line up on a single platform 220 metres long, their faces turned inland, the cliffs and ocean behind them. Sunrise is the time to go — the statues are silhouetted against the pink sky, and during the southern summer the sun rises directly behind the central figure.
The site sits at the base of the Rano Raraku quarry, a few minutes' drive away. A single tall moai with a red topknot stands a little apart from the line, and a scatter of fallen figures and broken pukao remind visitors how much restoration work it took to get the rest standing. There is no shade and no facilities — bring water and arrive early.