The Iao Needle is the star of the Iao Valley State Park. It is a lushly covered rocky spire that mysteriously stands 2,250 feet high. In this beautiful valley you can leisurely walk the paths along the streams and tropical plants while learning about the valley’s Hawaiian historical significance.
Plan to spend at least a half hour here. To avoid clouds and/or rain, morning time is best here.
Check the park’s website for park hours, entry fees, alerts and more.
The park is located near the Wailuku area on the northeast side of Maui. The park has ample parking, but be sure to lock your car and put valuables out of sight.
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Sheila,
You are right to warn your readers about locking their car and putting their valuables out of sight. When my husband and I were there a few years ago, we actually saw some local kids checking out cars to rip off.
Hawaii does not have a high crime rate of robbing strangers at gun point, but it does have a problem with break ins and burglaries, meaning if no one is around, or you make it convenient for them (such as leaving your car keys in the ignition), you may have trouble.
Thanks for adding your experience, HawaiiVacationGifts. There have been a few places I felt uneasy about parking my rental car in Hawaii, but I suppose it is no different from anywhere else.
Every place in the world has problems!! Name ONE city where everything is perfect. Just one? New York, L.A., San Francisco, Miami, London, Rio, Tokyo, Moscow? We could go on and on. There are less crimes here than most places. And don't worry about getting your rental car stolen, it will be replaced and you're on an island. Where can it possibly go to? Anything that goes in a commercial ship is heavily screened.
Robert - as I've already mentioned, I agree that Hawaii is no different than anywhere else. Keep in mind we're mainly talking about having your valuables stolen and not anything else....and you'd be wise to make sure valuables are out of sight and your doors are locked.
Of course you should be warned...I've lived on Maui for 10 years and despite always locking my vehicle, I have had my vehicle broken into and my home robbed, collectively eight times! Whilst living in Haiku there were 6 homes on our street that were robbed in a two week period. We even had a guy with a stolen vehicle try and hide down our driveway the very next week- when we called the police they said that the car had just been reported stolen from Twin Falls.
I have a friend in Kihei who had all of his surfboards stolen last week, my friend has had her vehicle (despite having an alarm) broken into 3 times now -at Paia Bay, Whalers Village and last month at The Maui Ocean Center. Look at all of the broken glass alongside the road at Ukemehame- and we all know about the public parking lot at Launiopoko Beach Park...so, yes Robert, I think everyone on Maui would agree that tourists should all be warned! And as for "where can the vehicle possibly go to"..um...how about the cane/pineapple fields..have you taken a trip down to Jaws lately? Burnt out vehicles EVERYWHERE...have you just moved here? And I don't think it's the car that people are concerned about..probably more like their personal possessions such as the wedding photos and gifts that were stolen from a tourists' rental car while they were having lunch in Paia last week (I was the one that had to call the police).
Oh, and by the way before moving to Maui I had NEVER been robbed....can you say "crystal meth problem"?