the Iao Needle looks dwarfed by the more massive peak to the right
but it is form, not size that makes the Iao Needle famous
the bridge over the Kinihapai Stream keeps your feet high and dry
the trail head to the Iao Needle Lookout
looking back you can see a glimpse of Kahului and the ocean
the lower tier of the mighty Honokohau Falls
These mountains
feature some of Maui's tallest waterfalls like the
Honokohau Falls.
Iao Valley is located just west of
Kahului, and
the lush rainforest vegetation and steep mountain scenery makes for a very attractive tourist destination. But be warned,
with a yearly precipitation of 10 meters it is also a very wet place.
The Iao Valley State Park is located at the end of
the Iao Valley Road from Kahului.
The main attraction here is the famous
Iao Needle that rises to almost 400 meters.
In
1790, Iao Valley was the scene of the fierce
Battle of Kepaniwai. The fighting was so bloody that bodies of slain
warriors blocked the Iao Stream which colored red from the blood.
The battle result was inconclusive and it was not till 1795
that
Kamehamea the Great was able to finally conquer Maui.
We visited the valley a couple of times since 1992 and in
2003 we took a helicopter ride to see the green peaks and high waterfalls from up-close.
an aerial view of the section of the West Maui Mountains, west of Kahului
the Iao Valley Road starts in Kahului and ends at this parking lot near the Iao Needle
there is not much water in the stream anyway
we take a helicopter ride to explore the West Maui Mountains
the Wall of Tears Falls have partly dried up
this is rugged, inaccessible country indeed
we head back to Kahului International Airport
our pilot has found the Iao Valley Road with at the end the parking lot