Needle and Eyes

Our first adventure of the day was a visit to the Iao Needle and Botanical Gardens. The area is lush and verdant, making it difficult to believe that the battle of Kepaniwai, the "Battle of the Damned Water," was once fought here. On this ground, Kamehameha I fought for control of the island of Maui, defeating Kalanikupule, the Chief of Maui, in battle. So many people were killed, that the Iao Stream was choked with bodies causing it to run red with blood. The Iao Valley is also associated with the Hawaiian god Kane, the giver of life, and it was here, therefore, that Maui's chiefs and nobility were buried.

It's difficult to imagine such a horrific battle scene in such a beautiful place. This spot is now a popular tourist attraction because of the Iao Needle itself and because of its lush vegetation.

The hike is relatively short - only half a mile from the parking lot and it is paved the whole way. But the overlook at the top has a tremendous view of the Iao Needle. On the way down, we took the alternate path through the botanical gardens, which have been planted by a local association. It was fascinating how the Iao Stream had been diverted through an intricate series of pipes to get water to the various terraces for growing. Native plants as well as some plants brought from Polynesia have been grown - bananas, taro and ginger among them.

After this short walk, we decided to do a couple more short walks, but decided to drive the direct way instead of all the way around the West side of the island. This involved traveling on an extremely narrow one lane road for about a mile. If you meet someone on this stretch of road, you have to back up as there is no where to pull over. Our destination was the Nakalele Blowhole and the Olivine Pool.

Just before the narrow spot, we stopped at Kahakuloa Village. Anyone who's willing to paint lava rocks pink in order to attract customers to their shaved ice shop deserves some business! After leaving Kahakuloa we proceeded up the very narrow, cliffside road. We were blessed, despite the fact that we ignored our travel guide's advice on direction of travel, not to meet any cars coming the opposite direction and so did not have to back up.

A short while later we reached the Olivine Pool near mile marker 16. The first part of this unofficial trail is almost non-existent and you find yourself scrambling down jagged lava rocks.

The pool and geologic formations. however, make the risk of cutting your legs on the jagged lava worth it. While we did not bring swim suits on this trip, it is possible to swim in the pool and many people do so. The water is a beautiful shade of olive green and from there you have a beautiful view of the waves crashing over nearby lava.



Next to the pool is another blowhole, though not quite as spectacular as the Nakalele Blowhole that we were above to visit. Most interesting, however, is the interaction of the wind, water and lava. Wind and salt water have eroded the lava, giving it the look of a beautiful, albeit sharp, lace. From the Nakalele Blowhole, our next stop, there is a trail named the Acid War Zone trail, which runs along many formations similar to these.

Despite the jagged lava rocks, wind and salt water, lest anyone think that this is a barren wasteland, beautiful green succulents can be seen growing in the crevices between rocks and the upper portion of the trail was littered with brightly colored flowers. The total length of this portion of our day's hike was no more than 45 minutes. About 20 minutes down and another 25 minutes up. Needless to say, this is not a trail for flip flops. Good hiking shoes, or at a minimum hiking sandals, should be worn on this trail.

After reaching the trailhead once more, we proceeded on to the Nakalele Blowhole, our last destination for the day. We timed our arrival as close as possible to high tide, because a strong surf and high tide make for the best viewing. We were not disappointed.

The water was blowing up in great, powerful jets. Blowholes are created when the surf undercuts the rock along the shoreline, eventually eroding a hole through the top. The wave action and high tide cause an impress geyser-like effect. Don't get too close though! This is not something you want to fall into. It is likely you'd never get back out and the surf would pound you into a pulp against the sharp lava. People have also been known to get sucked into the hole by the retreating water (think vacuum), so it is best to keep a respectful distance.

This trail was similar to the trail to the Olivine Pool, a bit longer although somewhat less challenging. Also interesting are the geologic strata that can be seen where the lava has eroded away. A red layer, indicating that the volcano belched lava rich in iron, can be seen sandwiched in between different layers of aa.

The Nakalele Blowhole is accessible either via the Acid War Zone trail or by the shorter half mile trail which we took. This hike will take about an hour and a half, giving yourself plenty of time to look around at the blowhole and adjacent tide pools.