Iao Valley

The first stop this morning was the Saturday Swap meet - it's part farmers market, part craft fair, and we bought a Maui grown pineapple and an avacado.

Then it was on to Iao Valley State Park, where we walked up the path to take photos of the "needle," a remnant of an old volcano. It rises 2250' up, and takes its' name from 'Iao, the daughter of Maui. According to legend, beautiful 'Iao was raised in the hidden valley to shelter her; but one night a "merman" swam upstream, and was smitten by the lovely 'Iao. When her father discovered this affair, he threatened to cast the merman out to sea. The distraught 'Iao pleaded that she couldn't possibly live without her love, so Maui turned the merman into a needle of stone.
Photo by jongela19 via Flickr