Tuesday, January 24, 2023 – Photo of the Day – Cruising The Pacific Ocean

James Grant-Peterkin | Featured Lecturer

Easter Island Today

Understand the modern challenges facing this and other remote islands.

James Grant-Peterkin is a Cambridge University graduate and the British Honorary Consul on Easter Island. He has been studying Polynesian culture, linguistics, and archaeology for over 20 years, most of those while living on Easter Island, and is the author of the guidebook “A Companion to Easter Island”. He has lectured extensively on Eastern Polynesia on cruise ships and at educational institutions worldwide.

1000 years ago the islanders set up their large moai on platforms to attract the favor of the gods to provide prosperity, security, and wealth. Ten centuries later, thanks to a thriving tourist industry, this is exactly what the moai are doing. The introduction of reliable Internet daily flights to the mainland, and a wider range of consumer goods and activities have removed the sense of remoteness.