ʻĪao Valley ( Hawaiian: ''Īao'': "cloud supreme", pronounced similar to "EE-yow") is a lush, stream-cut valley in West

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, located west of Wailuku. Because of its natural environment and history, it has become a tourist location. It was designated a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best e ...

in 1972.

ʻĪao Valley State Monument

The state park is located on at the end of ʻĪao Valley Road (Highway 32). The ʻĪao Needle (Kūkaʻemoku), a landmark in the state park, is a vegetation-covered lava remnant rising from the valley floor or above sea level. The "needle" is a sharp ridge that gives the appearance of being a spire when viewed end-on. The needle is an extension of and surrounded by the cliffs of the

West Maui Mountains The West Maui Mountains, West Maui Volcano, or Mauna Kahālāwai (which means "holding house of water") are the remnants of an eroded shield volcano that constitutes the western quarter of Maui. Approximately 1.7 million years old, the volcano's ...

, an extinct

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

. There is a short trail (ʻĪao Needle Lookout Trail and Ethnobotanical Loop) to a windy overlook.

Rainforest

ʻĪao Valley is covered in dense

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

, most of which consists of introduced vegetation on the valley floor. The

Puu Kukui Puu or Pu'u is a Hawaiian word for any protuberance, from a pimple to a hill, and can refer to: * Puu Kukui, mountain peak in Hawaii * Pu'u Huluhulu (Hawaii Route 200) *Puʻu ʻŌʻō Puu Ōō (also spelled Pu‘u‘ō‘ō, and often written P ...

summit area at the valley's head receives an average of rainfall per year, making it the state's second wettest location after The Big Bog, slightly wetter than

Mount Waialeale Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

. Much of this rainfall ends up flowing into the ʻĪao Stream. Trails in the State Park run alongside ʻĪao Stream and through the forest. Above the ʻĪao valley at the Puʻu Kukui watershed is a native cloud forest of ʻ Ohiʻa and

Koa KOA (short for Kampgrounds of America) is an American franchise of privately owned campgrounds. Having more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada, it is the world's largest system of privately owned campgrounds. It was founded ...

. This forest is home to many native species including birds like the

ʻIʻiwi The iiwi (pronounced , ''ee-EE-vee'') (''Drepanis coccinea'') or scarlet honeycreeper is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. The iiwi is a highly recognizable symbol of Hawaii. Etymology Linguists derive the Hawaiian language word ''iiwi'' ...

ʻApapane The apapane ( ;) (''Himatione sanguinea'') is a small, crimson species of Hawaiian honeycreeper endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. They are the most abundant and widely distributed honeycreeper and are found on the islands of Hawaii, Maui, Lānai ...

, and ʻAmakihi.

History

The Hawaiian god

Kāne In Hawaiian mythology, Kāne is considered the highest of the three major Hawaiian deities, along with Kū and Lono. He represented the god of procreation and was worshipped as ancestor of chiefs and commoners. Kāne is the creator and giv ...

is considered to be the procreator and the provider of life. He is associated with wai (fresh water) as well as clouds, rain, streams, and springs.

Kanaloa In the traditions of ancient Hawaii, Kanaloa is a god symbolized by the squid or by the octopus, and is typically associated with Kāne. It is also an alternative name for the island of Kahoolawe. In legends and chants, Kāne and Kanaloa are po ...

, the Hawaiian god of the underworld, is represented by the

phallic A phallus (: phalli or phalluses) is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history, a figure with an erect penis is described as ''ithyphallic''. Any object that symbo ...

stone of the ʻĪao Needle. Kapawa, the king of Hawaii prior to Pili, was buried here. Maui's ruler

Kakae Kakae was High Chief of the island of Maui. Kakae's name is sometimes given as Kakaeloiki. Kakae is mentioned in old chants. Biography Kakae was a son of Chief Kaulahea I of Maui and his sister-wife, High Chiefess Kapohanaupuni of Hilo. His b ...

, in the late 15th century, designated ʻĪao Valley as an alii burial ground. The remains were buried in secret places. In 1790, the

Battle of Kepaniwai The Battle of Kepaniwai ("Battle of the Dammed Waters of ʻĪao" or Kaʻuwaʻupali, "Battle of the Clawed Cliffs") was fought in 1790 between the islands of Hawaii (island), Hawaiʻi and Maui. The forces of Hawaiʻi were led by Kamehameha I, w ...

took place there, in which

Kamehameha the Great Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; to May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii ...

defeated Kalanikūpule and the Maui army during his campaign to unify the islands. The battle was said to be so bloody that dead bodies blocked ʻĪao Stream, and the battle site was named ''Kepaniwai'' ("the damming of the waters").

Kepaniwai Park and Heritage Gardens

Established in 1952, the Heritage Gardens in Kepaniwai Park recognize the multicultural history of Maui. Tributes and structures celebrate the contributions of Hawaiian, American missionary, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, and Filipino cultures. The gardens had become overgrown and were restored in 1994. The Hawaii nature center, just outside the gardens, has a museum and children's education about Hawaii and conservation.

References

External links