The northeast of Rapa Nui
Te Pito O Te Henua (“navel of the world”), one of the names given to the “magnetic stone”, the almost perfect ovoid stone with a high iron content at Te Pito Kura (“navel of light”), on the north coast of Rapa Nui. This singular stone was formerly known as Tita’a hanga ‘o te henua, and according to legend, was brought by Hotu Matu’a, the founding king of the Rapanui people, in his boat from Hiva, his native land. It is said that this rock, almost spherical and smooth, concentrates a magnetic and supernatural energy called mana.
Photo by Ludo Kuipers, Mon Oct 07, 1985