'Iao Valley State Park, Maui

Our home base while staying on Maui is the town of Kihei, on the southwest side of the Island. Located on the leeward side of Haleakala, a massive volcano, the climate in Kihei is quite arid, receiving no more than 10 inches of rain per year. But anyone who spends much time on the Hawaiian Islands soon realizes that divergent climate zones are never more than a few minutes drive away. Such is the case with the beautiful 'Iao Valley, just 12 miles north and west of Kihei, and where Dan and I spent the morning recently at the 'Iao Valley State Park. Covered in dense rainforest, the summit area at the valley's head receives an average 386 inches of rainfall per year. As we approached the park the mountains and ridges that form the lush valley were shrouded in clouds and mist (later I found out 'Iao means "Supreme Cloud"), and we wondered if our visit would indeed be rained out. But Mother Nature cooperated with our plans, and we were able to spend about an hour along the trails that wind through the beautiful and peaceful 4,000-acre park taking in the impressive views. The 'Iao Needle (Kūkaemoku), a vegetation-covered lava remnant rising 1,200 feet from the valley floor, is probably the most famous geographical feature in the park, and is also said to represent Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the underworld. A thousand years ago, Hawaiians gathered at `Iao Valley to celebrate and honor the bounty of Lono, god of agriculture, during the annual makahiki festival, and more than a hundred years ago visitors began coming to witness the natural beauty of this valley. Here are some pictures from our visit.