The Rambling Writer’s Maui Vacation, part 4: Iao Valley
Thor and I took a drive from the dry west side of Maui to the verdant green Iao Valley for a lovely short hike.
In this view from the plane as we landed, there was a clear contrast of the flat, dry west coast with the steep hills and ravines that catch clouds and funnel rain. Maui is an island with distinct climate zones.
After a week of heat and sunshine at the beaches in the drought conditions of October, we decided to take a break in the moist green of the Iao Valley. We’d been there on a previous trip, and it’s a pretty short drive from Kihei. What was new was the need to make a reservation for a spot at the small park, but it was easy online.
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You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s Caribbean suspense novel from Book View Café is ISLANDS, which draws on her experiences working as a scuba divemaster on various islands, and also her research into petroglyphs. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
2 thoughts on “The Rambling Writer’s Maui Vacation, part 4: Iao Valley”
It’s interesting how quickly the vegetation changes as you drive up the valley and into the rainy zone. It is also sobering to walk through the amazing terrain knowing a great battle was fought there as Maui natives resisted an invasion by Hawaii.
Yes, it’s such a refreshing change of pace. And sobering to think about the carnage as islanders fought other islanders. Reportedly the stream ran red with blood. We started to watch the new Jason Momoa series “Chief of War” that seems pretty authentic about the conflicts, but it was so brutal that I didn’t have the stomach to keep watching. Maybe too much of that happening in the world right now to absorb more.