Iao Valley

Joe and I needed to go into the main Post Office in Wailuku so we decided to take the rest of the afternoon and explore some neighborhoods in the Iao (pronounced EE-ow) Valley.  There were some huge, beautiful homes and exclusive communities with fantastic views tucked into the mountainsides. 

Check out this golden gate at a
private residence

The Iao Valley is in the northwest part of Maui and is created by the large West Maui Mountains.  The highest point of the mountain range is Puu Kukui Summit at 5,446 ft above sea level.  The clouds were low today and it was quite beautiful. 

You can hike through these mountains
(or so I've heard - haha)

The Iao Stream

While wandering around, we stumbled onto Kepaniwai Park's Heritage Gardens.  It is honoring the various Asian cultures in Hawaiian history, most of whom had come to work on the sugar plantations in the 1800's.  It was really an interesting and beautiful park.

And to end our evening, we had a blue moon -- the full moon is just so beautiful shining on the water.

From our lanai