Out tour visited archeological ruins near Hatiheu. These consist of many paepae, or raised stone house platforms, as well as tikis and petroglyphs. Some of the paepae are arranged around large common areas called tohuas, which Richard said were often used as ceremonial or festival sites or sport venues.
The banyan tree in the photo was once used as a sort of cemetery, with bones and skulls of ancestors placed in its branches. These were apparently removed around the time of the influx of missionaries and disease to the islands around the late 1800s. At the base of this banyan was a pit, which we were informed was for keeping sacrifice victims in until their time was up!
Many of the paepaes had built-in pits in the stonework, usually for fermenting breadfruit into poipoi, which is a traditional staple food on the islands. However some of the pits were also apparently for keeping bones, and others for holding the live victims before they were sacrificed for cannibal rites.
As we peered at all of these spooky sights, many of which were in full use just 150 years ago, our own flesh was being devoured by ferocious mosquitoes and nonos.