The site of the largest ahu on Easter Island, Ahu Tongariki is the centre for the Hotu Iti people of Rapa Nui. There are now 15 moai proudly standing with their backs to the sea. Unfortunately, the site has been subject to many civil wars and natural disasters that have damaged the moai over time.
After a devastating tsunami in the 1960s, a subsequent restoration effort was undertaken in the 1990s to restore the site. However, only one of the moai is still sporting a pukao (top knot). More of the pukao are stacked neatly off to one side near the car park.
