Located on the slopes of the extinct Ranu Kau volcano, Orongo Village is a historical settlement that was abandoned in the mid-1800s. The ruins were restored almost a century later and the village can still be visited today. It is thought that it was once a ceremonial centre for the ‘Birdman Cult’ an annual ritual that involved one member of each of the Rapa Nui tribes being selected and pitted against the other representatives in a swimming race to the nearby islet of Motu Nui, where they were required to gather an egg laid by a sooty tern. The first person to make it back to Easter Island alive with an intact egg was declared the winner of the contest. This was no easy task and many of the contestants drowned or were killed by sharks during the arduous swim.