We seriously need to write to Rick Stein about this one. We return to Ahu Tahai about 6.00 pm with a small picnic and some tasty apple juice, specifically to swim off the ancient boat-launching slipway which the original inhabitants had constructed between the massive and elegant Ahus which lie just north of Hanga Roa. We had been there earlier in the day, admiring the views, the Moais and the wild horses. But now it was time to immerse in the Pacific. There were three of us, Jon, Simon and the loyal and faithful Tokirau, who even became quite concerned as Simon swam out into the bay: he looked like he was contemplating jumping in to save him!
As we paddled and dried ourselves off, an apparition hove into view. At first it was obviously just a young man with snorkel and flippers, but as the water became too shallow, he had to stand up.
Suddenly we had been transported back 500 years, to the original age when men were the hunters. He had been fishing, with his miniature harpoon and about ten fish strapped around his waist on some twine. And twine, complete with a small skull for decoration, was all that he was wearing. He proceeded to de-scale, clean and gut the fish, including one specimen of amazing sword-like proportions, and one large pescatorial creature, the food of kings, which was bright blue!
Afterwards, as he made his way with his wife and tiny baby off the stone platform, back in the direction of the hill behind the ahus, it seemed as if he’d completely forgotten about the sword-like fish, so Jon called to him that it was still lying between the rocks. What was that? Although he looked fierce and terrifying, he’d asked in a very friendly way if we liked eating fish and if we’d like to join them for a barbeque to watch the sun go down. And of course we would.
Off they went first, just as we were drying off following our Pacific dip but we met up with them just in front of a secretive cave, where we saw the occasional tourist walk by obliviously. Jon was first to get there, so eager to see this new culture that he left Simon and Tokirau behind. He found himself running up the grassy verge behind the cavern, aiding our new friends in getting firewood, which consisted of dried out palm fronds and, of course, a few logs.
We chucked the dried leaves on top of an elliptical pile of aerated volcanic rock before adding the wood and setting alight. The next job was to take some of the smaller stones of the same type and shove them into the fiery mess, so that they reached such a high temperature that they began to sizzle. This meant that the moment had come to place the world’s freshest bream-like fish and another unidentifiable sword-like eel onto the smoky rocks and wait, not forgetting to turn the fish every so often.
When the moment of taste came as we tucked into this delicia, we were blown away by the freshness and purity and couldn’t get enough. Plus there were delicious small, sweet bananas to accompany, which made for a beautiful contrast in flavours. Unforgettable!
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