Cook Islands has issued commemorative silver dollars under foreign licensing arrangements since the 1970s, and by the mid-2000s the program had expanded into themed series targeting collector markets with subjects having no direct connection to the islands. The Moai of Easter Island — a Chilean territory lying roughly 3,300 kilometers to the east — falls squarely into that category. Easter Island's statues were carved by the Rapa Nui people between approximately the 13th and 16th centuries, with the largest surviving example, Paro, standing over ten meters and weighing around 82 tonnes before it was toppled during inter-clan warfare in the 19th century.
Cook Islands has issued commemorative silver dollars under foreign licensing arrangements since the 1970s, and by the mid-2000s the program had expanded into themed series targeting collector markets with subjects having no direct connection to the islands. The Moai of Easter Island — a Chilean territory lying roughly 3,300 kilometers to the east — falls squarely into that category. Easter Island's statues were carved by the Rapa Nui people between approximately the 13th and 16th centuries, with the largest surviving example, Paro, standing over ten meters and weighing around 82 tonnes before it was toppled during inter-clan warfare in the 19th century.