 There is a place on this planet whose existence was, for many centuries, merely a legend. A tale told amidst the myths of the sea dogs, surrounded by enormous stone statues, which eternally watch and gaze upon the often misty shore, lost in the vast depths of the ocean, as if forgotten by the Earth. Throughout its long and incredibly rich and unique history, this mystical place gave sanctuary to countless souls, many presumably on the verge of perishing. It is an island imbued with the visible hope of the desolate, racing across shark-infested routes, from island to island in the small volcanic chain, not just for fun, but kingdom celebrity status. These paradisiacal and familiar lagoons were their entire world. Although there is clear and predictably evidence of the once global, highly capable stone masons, having had their hand in the mysteries of the statues of the islands, yet post-flood all the stone carving abilities required to cut a mongai hook, for example, after this link was severed, generation after generation, the descendants of the marooned lived out their lives in complete isolation, never seeing their homelands again. Landing on Easter Island would have felt like the death of one life and the beginning of a new. The island was once heavily forested with broadleaf palms, for the submersion of many of the moai beneath many meters of soil, or possible sediment, has been that of rapid deforestation, yet I find it hard to envisage a colony dependent on such a material being so irresponsible with it. Furthermore, why were no seedlings present? Or indeed, ungerminated seeds? Why did these forests not indeed naturally grow back? Why are there so little fragments of Rongorongo, the still undeciphered language of the pre-flood civilization, all of which on wood, yet still found upon the island in the late 1900s? And most perplexing of all, why do many of the statues buried up to their necks lay in differing directions? If indeed the topsoil was destabilized by the removal of root support, statues would be laying in the same direction. However, due to the island's remote location, if a great deluge was to have occurred, the collection of sediment and differing tidal patterns would explain this higgledy-piggledy layout perfectly. Yet, I digress. Strong evidence suggests at some point post-flood the islanders were introduced to sweet potatoes, becoming a very important staple which probably found its way to the island, either with marooned mariners or floating wreckage. Over four major population crashes and famines were reported by the original natives in their knowledge of the island's past. With no outside influences, invasions, or even contact ever experienced by the Easter Islanders, any other colonies were slowly forgotten. Only very rare shipwreck events brought incoming information and many generations could pass without such an event occurring. Christian missionary campaigns on the island became frequent most of their priceless cultural practices, especially their valuable knowledge of successfully living, completely isolated on a tiny desert island, predictably faded over time. Subsequent slave raids demolished the island's imaginary barrier to the forgotten sorrows of outsiders. Memories built up over generations of safety and solitude were shattered by the slave trade. The pace and ferocity of the modern world swept them away. The mystical, untouched Easter Islanders' luck was to run out. The last king to ever reign over the Kingdom of Easter died a slave along with his family somewhere in Europe, a sad end to an amazing journey. When I first considered covering Easter Island, I looked upon the subject as somewhat bland and boring. But once you peel back the moss and dig out the facts, you stumble across an amazing and true legend among historical tales. By participating in the research of past cultures, we can discover amazing legacies. There are many incredible things our ancestors are willing to tell us if we are willing to look hard enough. As always, thanks for watching. We find such mysterious histories highly compelling.