Rano Kau is one of the most spectacular locations on the island, with the large crater and lake on one side, and a near-vertical 300-metre drop to the ocean on the other. Here are the remains of the ceremonial village of Orongo, which was the centre of the birdman cult, where an annual race was held to bring back the first sooty tern egg from a nearby islet. There are many petroglyphs here of human figures with birds’ heads and beaks.