ʻĪao Valley State Monument

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On our second day in Maui, we took a ‘Best of Maui’ excursion through the ship. Our first stop was the lush ʻĪao Valley State Monument, about 20 minutes drive from Kahului.

ʻĪao Valley was once burial grounds for the kings. In 1790, it was also the site of a brutal battle where King Kamehameha defeated Maui’s army in his quest to unify the Hawaiian islands. This was called the Battle of Kepaniwai (damming of the waters) because the bodies of the slain blocked ʻĪao Stream.

ʻĪao Valley is known for a 1200 foot spire called the ʻĪao Needle or Kūka’emoku. The Needle is a lava remnant carved out by erosion. We took…