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Eclipse Day: 11 July, 2010 on Easter Island
 Welcome to Rapa Nui!
Our specially chartered flight will touch down at dawn directly in the path of totality. Guests will visit Easter Island and its famous and enigmatic Moai of Easter Island for the eclipse. Easter Island's Rapa Nui State Park are recognized and protected as a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage site. Rapa Nui, the indigenous name of Easter Island, bears witness to a unique cultural phenomenon. A society of Polynesian origin that settled there c. A.D. 300 established a powerful, imaginative and original tradition of monumental sculpture and architecture, free from any external influence. From the 10th to the 16th century this society built shrines and erected enormous stone figures known as moai, which created an unrivalled cultural landscape that continues to fascinate people throughout the world. Our supported viewing site and eclipse camp offers 4:57 duration; with first contact at 12:40pm, totality at 2:08pm, and 4th contact at 3:34pm. We visit well known Rano Raraku, Tongariki, Tahai sectors. Then, as the As the sun sets, so does our time on Rapa Nui. After a long eclipse day, guests return to their hotel on Tahiti with a 6 hour flight, arriving in time for a welcome sleep in Tahiti.
Due to our group's large size and our impact on Rapa Nui's UNESCO World Heritage sites, we will base our operations from a main, tented camp on private land. Tours will be performed in rotations of 30-40 passengers at a time.
Guests will rotate in shifts with guides from base camp at the Tahai sector and Hanga Roa to Tongariki for visits to the 2 main, large sectors of Maoi on Easter Island.
9:00 am - Bus 1 leaves Hanga Roa town with groups and begin rotation to Tongariki while other group members transfer in from the aiport to the tented base camp a few yards from Tahai. Group leaders will be presenting lectures, instructions and introductions to Easter Island over drinks.
9:30 am - 12:00 pm - Busses continue rotation of tours from Hanga Roa to Tongariki in shifts. The last bus is scheduled to return to the eclipse viewing location at 12:30 pm. Hikes to neighboring areas of Hanga Roa Town, Orongo Volcano Crater are will also be led during rotation windows.
10:00 am Departures begin for Rano Raraku
10:30 am - 12am Visiting Rano Raraku
12:40pm - First contact
2:08 - 2:13PM - Totality.
2:30 - 4:00 pm Celebration Barbeque.
4:00 to 6:00 pm Additional rotations to Tongariki will continue as will more hikes to Orongo Crater and Hanga Roa.
6:45 pm Transfer back to airport for international check-in and departure procedures.
9:30pm Depart Easter Island for Tahiti. Arrival in Tahiti at 11:45pm that night.
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