At the Rano Ranaku quarry you can admire moais in every phase of their production process.

 

Still attached to the rock are several unfinished carvings, maybe abondoned because the craftsmen encountered hard rock or cracks. One of them is a real giant with a length of almost 22 meters that would have weighed in at 270 tons.

 

Scattered on the south slope you find moais standing, hanging or lying around in an utterly disorderly fashion. Sculpting was a commercial business and moais were made in advance so customers could make their pick.

 

A stranger in the pack is the kneeling moai Tukuturi with more human features like arms and a beard. It is made from the red tuffstone from the Puna Pua quarry for the pukao headdresses. How he ended up here and for what purpose is lost in the mist of time. Tuku was dug up in 1956 by Thor Heyerdahl and his team.

 

Most of the moai's body is hidden, after detachment from the rock the statue was lowered on a ramp into a pit to put him upright and finish the carving. Over time nature filled the pit.

 

This quarry sure is an intriguing place.