Situated on the South Western edge of Easter Island, Orongo ceremonial village is probably the most dramatically situated location on the whole island. The village sits on the cliff face looking out to the motu (small islands) to the South West.

The stone village was considered sacred by the Rapa Nui people to honour their god, Makemake. The village features 53 low-rise buildings (i.e. not quite standing room) that do a reasonable job of shielding people from the elements. The most famous of these buildings housed the only known basalt moai, Hoa Hakananai’a. It was taken in 1868 by the British Navy and now resides in the British Museum.

 
The buildings were oriented towards the motu, which were key to traditional ceremonies. The annual race, known as Tangata Manu, required participants to swim across to nearby Motu Nui to collect the first sooty tern (small bird) egg of the season. Many participants died from falling off the cliff faces or were eaten by sharks in the waters between the islands! All who took part in the ceremony lived in the specially constructed houses that line the crater. There are paintings that depict the ceremony inside some of these houses.