Iao Needle, Iao Valley State Park, Maui, Hawaii

Near Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii — The ‘Iao Needle, known in Hawaiian as Kuka’emoku, is a 2,250-foot high peak, a remnant of erosion at the end of a ridge comprised of dense dike stone.Recognized as the phallic stone of Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the ocean, the peak was used as a lookout by warriors. It was here that Maui warriors retreated from the forces of Kamehameha I during the Battle of Kepaniwai in 1790 when the river was said to have run “red with the blood of the dead.”The ‘Iao Needle is viewed here from the ‘Iao Valley State Monument.