Dustin made us homemade waffles in the morning and then he and Donna took us to Iao Valley, a state park that is known for the Iao Needle.

This is the Iao Needle. It is 1,200 feet tall.

Kapawa, the King of Hawaii prior to Pili, was buried here at Iao Needle and during the late 15th century, Iao Valley was designated as an alii burial area. They say that the remains of chiefs were buried in secret places all around Iao Valley.

The needle is surrounded by the West Maui Mountains, an extinct volcano.

We walked up a short trail to an overlook. Here’s Dallas and I with Iao Valley (and the parking lot) behind us.

And here are Dustin and Donna with the Iao Needle behind them.

After getting our photos taken in front of stuff, we walked along a trail through the rain forest that covers most of Iao Valley. The valley is the site of one of the most famous Hawaiian battles, the Battle of Kepaniwai. In 1790, King Kamehameha I defeated Kalanikupule and the Maui army in an effort to unite the Hawaiian islands.

The Battle of Kepaniwai was said to be so bloody that dead bodies blocked the Iao Stream. The battle site was named Kepaniwai, which means “damming of the waters.”