Iao Valley

Iao Valley, (/ˈiːaʊ/; Hawaiian Template:Langr Valley, for "cloud supreme") is a lush, stream-cut valley in West Maui, Hawaii, located 3.1 miles (5 km) west of Wailuku. Because of its natural environment and history, it has become a tourist location. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1972.

Template:Langr Valley State Monument

Photo of vegetation-covered lava promontory

The Template:Langr Needle. Rising 1,200 ft (370 m) from the valley floor, it is taller than the Eiffel Tower.

The state park is located on 6.2 acres (2.5 ha) at the end of Template:Langr Valley Road (Highway 32). The Template:Langr Needle (Template:Langr), a landmark in the state park, is a vegetation-covered lava remnant rising 1,200 feet (370 m) from the valley floor or 2,250 feet (690 m) 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, an extinct volcano. There is a short trail (Template:Langr Needle Lookout Trail and Ethnobotanical Loop) to a windy overlook.

Rainforest

Iao Valley is covered in dense rainforest, most of which consists of introduced vegetation on the valley floor. The Puʻu Kukui summit area at the valley's head receives an average 386 inches (9.8 m) of rainfall per year, making it the state's second wettest location after The Big Bog, slightly wetter than Mount Waiʻaleʻale. 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 Iao valley at the Template:Langr watershed is a native cloud forest of Template:Langlink and Template:Langlink. This forest is home to many native species including birds like the Template:Langlink, Template:Langlink and Template:Langlink.

History

The Hawaiian god Template:Langlink 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. Template:Langlink, the Hawaiian god of the underworld, is represented by the phallic stone of Kukaʻemoku, the Template:Langr Needle.

Template:Langrlink, the king of Template:Langr prior to Template:Langrlink, was buried here. Maui's ruler Template:Langrlink designated Template:Langr Valley as an Template:Langlink burial ground in the late 15th century. The remains were buried in secret places. In 1790, the Battle of Kepaniwai took place there, in which Kamehameha the Great defeated Template:Langrlink and the Maui army during his campaign to unify the islands. The battle was said to be so bloody that dead bodies blocked Template:Langr Stream, and the battle site was named Template:Langr ("the damming of the waters").

Template:Langr Park and Heritage Gardens

Established in 1952, the Heritage Gardens in Template:Langr 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.

Further reading

• Kyselka, Will; Ray E. Lanterman (1980). Maui: How it Came to Be. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-0530-5.

External links

• Template:Commons-inline