“I still remember with a sense of indolent luxury, a picnicking
excursion up a romantic gorge there called Ioa Valley. The
picturesque scenery revealed ceaseless changes and new charms with
every step of our progress.”
Mark
Twain
Joe
and I met up with our friends Steve and Sandy for breakfast on the
cruise ship before departing on our days adventure on the island of
Maui. We were all excited to get out and explore the island.
After renting the car, we headed for our first stop Ioa Valley
Monument State Park. I had read about it and it sounded beautiful.
So off we went.
This
park was a short drive from the cruise port. The ride there was
gorgeous with mountains appearing to sprout from the earth and reach
for the heavens. We pulled into the parking area and paid our five
dollars to park and entered the park. There were historic markers
to read about the history of the park.
In
the late fifteenth century, Maui’s ruler Kaka’e (also known as
Kakaeloiki) designated the Ioa Valley as an Ali’i burial ground.
Kapawa, the King of Hawaii prior to Pili, was buried here.
This
park has great historical significance as in 1790, King Kamehameha I,
fought with the Maui army in his mission to unite the islands. It
is said, he sent all the women and children into the valley to hide
before the battle started. The Ioa needle was used as a lookout to
watch for the enemy. This battle was so bloody that the Ioa stream
got blocked by all the dead from the battle. The battle received the
name, Kepaniwai which means the damning of the waters. After the
battle, King Kamehameha I was able to add Maui to the Kingdom of
Hawaii.
This
park is a beautiful lush rain forest with emerald peaks that tower
into the sky. This tropical delight is located in west Maui and
receives around 386 inches of rain each year. The Ioa Needle is the
famous landmark and is stunning. It is a volcanic monolith and
shoots straight up 2250 feet high.
We
walked up the well marked trail to see the Iao needle through a
tunnel of green with tropical plants and trees surrounding us. The
views were amazing and we stopped often to take a look and catch our
breath. It was hard to imagine that a place that is so beautiful
could have such a violent history.
We
enjoyed this par ankd all the amazing views of the park. We went on
this adventure back in 2013. I have learned that since this time,
the park was closed for nearly a year in 2016 when a 100 year flood
hit the area after a torrential storm and a flash flood. This storm
did over 1.8 million dollars in damage to the parking lot, railings,
pedestrian bridges, and washed out roads. The stream became very
large and they had to do stabilization on the hillsides because of
all the mud slides. It didn’t open back up to the public till
later in 2017 and there was still work to be done. I pray that its
natural beauty remained intact. This sadden us since it was so
breathtakingly beautiful.
This
park receives over 1,800 visitors per day and I’m sure it made many
tourist upset by not being able to see this area, while the repairs
were being made. Mark Twain called this area “The Yosemite of the
Pacific.” Of Kukaemokiu recalled this park saying, “Presently a
verdure-clad needle of stone, a thousand feet high, stepped out from
behind a corner, and mounted guard over the mysteries of the valley.”
Hawaiians
believe the god Kane is considered the creator and provider of life
with the association of freshwater, clouds, and streams. Konaloa is
another god who is associated with the underworld which is
represented by the Iao Needle. I hear there is a stone honoring the
god of the ocean, Kanaloa on top of the Iao Needle.
If
anyone has gone to this site since then, we would love to hear how it
is since the flood. It was a great stop for us, one of many for
this day. Follow along as we hit our next stop on Maui.
Aloha
Oe – Farewell to Thee.
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