Rising straight up to 2250ft, this velvety-green pinnacle is Maui’s iconic landmark. Most people shoot their mandatory photos from the bridge near the parking lot. A better idea, though, is to take the walkway just before the bridge that loops downhill by ʻIao Stream. This leads to the nicest angle, one that captures the stream, the bridge and the ʻIao Needle together. During periods of warfare the needle was used as a lookout to spot potential invaders.
The pinnacle takes its name from ʻIao, the daughter of Maui. According to legend, Maui and the goddess Hina raised their beautiful daughter deep in this hidden valley to shelter her from worldly temptations. But a merman (half-man, half-fish) swam into the valley one night and took ʻIao as a lover. When Maui discovered the affair he snatched the merman and threatened to cast him out to sea. ʻIao pleaded that she could not live without the sight of her beloved, so instead Maui turned him into a needle of stone.
