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Easter Island Moai Head in Sunset Park702-455-82252601 E. Sunset Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89120-3515 (On the East Side | In or around South Vegas) Enter off of Eastern and head East towards north end of duck pond |
More about Easter Island Moai Head in Sunset Park:
The giant Moai you see in the middle of the duck pond is originally from a restaurant called Aku Aku at the Stardust Hotel. The restaurant sat at the corner of the Strip and the late from 1958 to the 1980s. After the restaurant closed, many people thought the two 35 foot tall Moai's made their way down to the Tropicana Hotel in 1991 to sit in front of the main entrance. But those temporary tikis were made out of fiberglass or plaster. The Tropicana tiki look only lasted until 1996 when a Caribbean theme remodel took place.The Stardust tikis on the other hand were carved from real volcanic featherstone rock. One of the giant heads has passed into oblivion, but the other Moai is spending a quiet retirement in this local park.
The Moai's were originally carved by Eli Hedley. Eli was famous in Southern California for his home-made driftwood home near San Pedro and his Island Trade Store in Huntington Beach and Adventureland, Disneyland. In Nevada he provided décor for Trader Dicks and Harvey's in Nevada and Aku Aku. His grandson now carries on the tradition at his own island style furnishing store, Bamboo Ben in Huntington Beach.
I recommend starting an evening of touring at dusk with a sunset dinner picnic in Sunset Park by the Moais and then heading up the strip to see the neon lights!
Listed under:
Special Ratings: See it Sometimes | Nothing Else To DoEra: 1950s | 1970s
Categories: Park | Tiki
Related Links:
Bamboo BenStardust Hotel
Aku Aku
 Image (c) M-M Stratton Giant Aku Aku Moai in Sunset Park in Las Vegas |
 Image (c) M-M Stratton Giant Aku Aku Moai in Sunset Park in Las Vegas |
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