‘Iao Needle, ‘Iao Valley State Park, Maui

‘Iao Needle, in ‘Iao Valley State Park, Maui, is a tropical rain-forest-covered ridge that ascends approximately 1200 ft above sea level. From the sea floor its height is closer to 2250 feet.

This sacred landform is regarded as the phallic stone of Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the ocean… If you visit ‘Iao Valley State Park, before heading up the trail, stand in the car park and you’ll clearly see why.

The Needle got its shape as a result of erosion of surrounding weaker rocks which created the volcanic caldera in the West Maui Mountains many millennia ago.

‘Iao (pronounced ee-ow not i-oh), means cloud supreme, and note the dipthong at the beginning of the name. Do you know The Needle’s traditional Hawaiian name?

Scroll below to find out.

Reveal its Hawaiian name here

Kuka`emoku

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