Iao Valley State Park, Maui

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Iao Valley State park is a short drive up the road from dry, dusty central Maui, and very quickly you are in rain forest. A large rock formation is called the Ioa needle. This is the site of an historic battle where King Kamehameha defeated the warriors of Maui, and the rivers ran red with blood. Now it is a peaceful, albeit foggy and damp park with walking trails and rivers.

Just down the road from Iao Valley park is Kepaniwai Park which pays tribute to the varied ethnic heritages of Hawaii. There are a Japanese garden, Chinese Pavilion, Filipino farmer's home, a Hawaiian home, and a New England missionary style home. We were most taken with the Japanese and the Chinese pavilions and gardens, with the Iao Valley's misty mountains in the background.

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