The next day, Damjan and I took turns guarding the catamaran to comply with the local regulations. Damjan went ashore first thing in the morning to hit a few local shops and grab a couple of small souvenirs, returning after a quick two hours. I decided to head out a bit later to avoid the brutal midday sun, though at this latitude, the sun feels intense almost all day long.
I wandered through Hanga Roa—a small, laid-back town made up of essentially three vertical streets intersecting four horizontal ones—and then headed along the coastline to check out the Moai and ahu platforms near town. About two kilometers in, I ran straight into a park checkpoint. The ranger on duty stopped me and politely explained that accessing these sites required an official national park pass and a small stamp booklet.
I sighed and tried to negotiate, offering to come back later with a ticket if he’d let me pass just this once. But he remained firm, warning me with a smile that I’d better hurry back to town before the park office closed for the day.
Defeated, I turned around and trudged back down the dusty roads, admiring the statues along the shoreline for a third time—ticketless once again. When I finally tracked down the national park office, the ticket price took my breath away: $95 USD per person. Rumor had it the pass was $80 until a recent tax hike pushed it up. Still, being this far out in the middle of the Pacific, you don’t really have a choice. I called Damjan to double-check if he wanted one. He was just as shocked by the steep price, but agreed: “We came all this way, we have to buy it.” So, I shelled out $190 for two tickets.
The ticket is valid for 10 days across the entire Rapa Nui National Park, allowing unlimited visits to almost every site on the island—with two major exceptions: the Orongo volcanic crater and the Rano Raraku Moai quarry. These two high-protection zones can only be entered once, marked by a ranger tearing off a section of your pass upon arrival.
With official park passes in hand, our next hurdle was transportation—exploring the island on foot was out of the question. I checked a few local car rental spots, but small vehicles like a tiny Daihatsu were going for around $100 USD a day. Given the rule that Damjan and I had to explore in shifts, paying double or renting for multiple days felt like a complete budget nightmare.
Nearly broke after buying the tickets, I spent the rest of the afternoon strolling through local artisan markets. Even basic souvenirs were steep: tiny hand-carved wooden or stone Moai that could fit in your pocket ranged from $30 to $50 USD, while larger statues and carved Rongorongo tablets went for $100, and ceremonial masks reached well over $200.
Local dining was no different. A simple tuna sandwich at a casual cafe ran about $15 to $20 USD. Tuna was prepped ten different ways on every menu across town—a bit ironic considering we had plenty of fresh tuna stashed in our own galley freezer that I would have gladly traded for a few carved souvenirs!
Seeking shelter from the afternoon sun, an idea struck me: why not reach out to our new local friend, Kava, for some advice on affordable car rentals? (Fun fact: neither Google Maps nor standard GPS navigation worked reliably anywhere on the island back then!). As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, I headed back to the boat so Damjan and I could brainstorm a strategy for the coming days.
Back on board, Damjan and I discussed contacting Kava not just for rental tips, but to see if he knew any trustworthy locals who wouldn’t mind hanging out on the catamaran while we explored. To sweeten the deal, our boat was practically an entertainment paradise: loaded with gaming consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, even an old-school Sega), stacks of games, a freezer stocked with cold drinks, and plenty of snacks.
What happened next was mind-blowing. When I called Kava, he casually offered to lend us his personal car for a day or two—completely free of charge! I stood there in absolute disbelief. As for watching the catamaran, he mentioned that his younger brother and a few friends would love to come aboard, play video games, and keep an eye on the vessel while we toured the island.
I couldn’t thank him enough. Damjan was just as stunned, asking repeatedly, “He’s really just giving us his car? For nothing?” In a world where everything on this remote island cost an arm and a leg, the warmth and generosity of the local people stood out above everything else.