Getting an up-close look at new statue found in Easter Island l GMA

now it's time for a GMA cover story onEaster Island Michael is there showingus a new discovery hey Michaelhey George that's right I'm here toreport on how the island is beingaffected by climate change but just lastweek a new Statue was found partiallydue to those changing conditions andthis morning we're giving you a closerlookjust as I am making my way to report onthe effect climate change is happeningon Easter Island the incredible findinga previously undiscovered moai statuenewly Unearthed this statue the first ofits kind ever found in this dried uplake bed once full of water lake Rondoraraku has completely evaporated in thelast two years due in part to climatechangea recent fire incinerating the dried upvegetation unveiling the statue hiddenbeneath for centuries there have been nomoai that are found in what waspreviously a lake so this is this is uha first we could see more newdiscoveries of moai from the lake bedand under the present dry conditions wehave an unusual opportunity to look alittle closer getting to Easter Islandis no easy feat more than 10 hoursflying to South America I'm here in theairport heading to Lima and then once weget to Lima we catch a connecting flightto Santiago this is the beginning of ourjourney it's one of the most isolatedinhabited Islands on the planet formedfrom volcanic eruptions in the middle ofthe Pacific Oceanit's another five hour flight from Chilethe journey well worth it as soon as westep off the plane hi Michaelhow are you thank you so much thank youhow are you I'm family my guy Gina is arapanui native a central member of thistight-knit community of around 8 000residents look how beautiful that is shehas taken me on a quick tour through thevery small town hangaroa the drivebrings us along Rich blue Waves crashingalong the shore of this TropicalParadise within minutes I see my firstmoai wowokay I'm here with the big timer theisland is most famous for these giantstatues carved from the volcanic rockstanding proudly for years they areunder threat from climate change thiscome humans and then the sun is comingout this dry humid DrivehigherEaster Island would form by the hardenedlava of three now dormant volcanoes Ginais taking me to the massive mile widecrater Atop The Veronica's volcano youhave to throw some meat close your eyesright now right now give me your heartokay don't worryeverything needs you're not going towalk me into the crater are you nothere's only one word to describe theview and one two three open your eyes[Music]one of the most unbelievable things Ihave ever seensmoke bring it in here oh my goodnessit's amazing yeah it's beautifulwelcomeI'm happy to be hereit was really powerful you guys to seethat crater you couldn't stop staring atit and to see where this island camefrom and to stand on the edge of thatedge of that volcano was something Inever thought I'd ever see anything likethat but this crater it actuallycertainly the freshwater reservoir forthe island and in recent years thatwater level has dropped because climatechange has made the droughts longer andmore severe George you seemed odd bythat sight Michael what are the otherhighlightsohwell the other highlights are thesestatues behind me of course are are thebig highlight here but to see wherethey're carved we went up to the volcanowhere they were carved out of we've seenthe way that they moved them intoposition here and the locals say theywalked into position and when youunderstand that you understand what theymeant by that and just deprived thatthat the locals here have in theirhistory and their ancestors is somethingthat I I don't think I've ever reallyseen before with their tears shed justtalking about oh my goodness and I knowyou got a busy couple of days ahead ofyou but what can we expect to see onThursday Michaelyou can expect more of this Robin onThursday we're going to explore theculture here on Easter Island you havethe music you had a traditional dancewe're also going to be taking a closerlook into the nearly 1 000 catalog moaistatue and we're going to hear abouttheir significance and also the victorythat we came here how plastic isinundating this island which affects allof us and in the meantime we have muchmore exploring to do and reporting to dohere so you guys I can sit here and talkto you all day but I gotta get going areyou enjoy the rest of the show I willsee you on Thursday as I take ineverything that this island has to offerso I can make sure I bring it toeveryone out there you're alreadybringing it you're already breathing butone question did you Peak would you whenshe brought you to the crater were youpeeking or were your eyes really closedI know my eyes are really closed andthat was a sincere reaction but I was alittle worried I had some friends wouldwalk me into the crater so I just metGina and Gina was really trustworthy andniceand that was really incrediblewell your reaction was very easy to youguys all right you take care we'll seeyou on Thursday our friend take care Ithink I might have peakedhi everyone George Stephanopoulos herethanks for checking out the ABC NewsYouTube channel if you'd like to getmore videos show highlights and watchlive event coverage click on the rightover here to subscribe to our Channeland don't forget to download the ABCNews app for breaking news alerts thanksfor watching