After the Volcano Marathon: Orongo and Rano Kau

The Route: Hanga Roa → Rano Kau rim → Orongo → Hanga Roa Logistics: Short drive from the town, with a walk along the rim. Hire car, taxi or guided transfer. Marathon Month: June Duration: Day trip

Hanga Roa ──(10 mins by car, road climbs to the rim)──> Rano Kau viewpoint ──(short walk)──> Orongo
     ▲                                                                                          │
     └────────────────────────(10 mins by car, downhill)───────────────────────────────────────┘

The Volcano Marathon finishes at the Nayara Hangaroa, and about seven kilometres before the finish the course crosses the Rano Kau rim, the highest ground of the day. Orongo sits on that same rim, so this trip puts a name and a view to the stretch that hurt most. Most entrants see Orongo on the organiser's island tour the day before the race. It is a different place on legs that no longer have to climb anything.

June in Rapa Nui: this is winter in the southern hemisphere. The organiser gives June averages of 17 to 22°C, with occasional rain and a steady wind. On the rim the wind is stronger than in town, so a windproof layer matters more than a sun hat. The crater can fill with cloud on grey mornings. Go in the early afternoon if the morning looks low.

The rim and Orongo

Rano Kau is a collapsed volcanic crater with a freshwater lake on its floor and a wall that drops steeply to the sea on the south-western side. The straight-line distance from the finish hotel to Orongo is about 4 km. The road climbs the whole way and the surface is a mix of tarmac and rougher sections, so the drive takes around ten minutes in a hire car. Agree any taxi fare in advance. Ask the hotel to arrange one with a pick-up time, because there is no regular public transport on the island and no guarantee of finding a taxi at the top.

Orongo is the ceremonial village on the crater's seaward edge, a row of low stone houses built into the slope, with the offshore islets of Motu Nui and Motu Kao Kao below. It is linked to the birdman ritual, a competition that took over from the moai era, where chosen men swam to the islets to bring back the first egg of the sooty tern season. The petroglyphs of birdman figures are carved into rocks just outside the houses.

Entry is controlled by the Rapa Nui National Park ticket, currently USD 100 for adult foreign visitors (about £75), valid for 10 consecutive days and allowing one entry each to Orongo and Rano Raraku. Entrants who took the organiser's island tour on the day before the race may already have used the Orongo entry, and whether the package covers the ticket is not stated, so check what you hold before paying again.

The walking here is gentle but uneven. The path along the rim is compact earth and stone, mostly level, with short rough patches around the houses. The full circuit of the village takes 30 to 45 minutes at post-marathon pace. There are no steps of any length, though the ground drops away sharply at the edges, so keep to the marked route. There is little seating and almost no shade.

Eating and getting back

There is nowhere reliable to eat at the rim. Take water and food from Hanga Roa. Back in town, the Nayara Hangaroa has two restaurants, Poerava and Kaloa, and the town centre has small restaurants within a ten-minute walk of the hotel. Check opening hours on the day, as Rapa Nui restaurants often close between lunch and dinner.

The drive back is downhill and takes about ten minutes. Allow 3 to 4 hours for the whole trip, including the walk at the rim. There is no need for an overnight stay.