{ Kaua'i, Part VI ~ Queen's Bath + Odds 'n' Ends }

There is a beautiful spot on Kauai's north shore called the Queen's Bath. It's a large lava rock pool, fed by the ocean, accessible only by trekking down to the lava-rimmed coast and then walking what seems an interminable distance along the lava, seeing nothing that looks remotely pool-like but lots of large waves crashing onto the rocks, and wondering if this is a ploy to rid the island of naive tourists.

And then you see this.

It's deep, and calm, and roomy. An occasional large wave will come high enough to fill a small pool that in turn overflows into the Queen's Bath.

It's beautiful, in an otherworldly and wholly unexpected kind of way.

You can see some dry rocks at the upper end of the pool in the right-hand corner of the photo above. This turns into a narrower channel, with more shallow pools {below}.

Mike and I explored far beyond the Queen's Bath and found all sorts of beautiful pools. I can't think of a better word to describe them than "otherworldly." To see huge waves crashing agains the lava outcropping a few yards to one side, and all around you these deep, calm pools with the most exquisite blue-green water and delicately colored rocks, was a sensory juxtaposition that I relished.

That one made me want to be a mermaid so I could explore the cavern!

Some pools were directly connected to the ocean and the depth of the water within changed by several feet when a wave came in.

See Mike on the edge of the pool above? I'm using him for scale. These pools are so lovely--why can't I be a mermaid and live here?

The Queen's Bath was a fun, unusual expedition: Not the greatest swimming, but plenty of geological/oceanic eye candy and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Later that day we ventured to the Wailua River. I had to include this picture because it's so incredibly green.

Here are some sunrise-from-the-lanai shots.

This enormous fountain heralds the entrance to Princeville, which isn't exactly a town, but I don't know what else to call it. {Wait: according to Wikipedia, it's a "census-designated place (CDP)." Whatever that means.} I certainly felt fancy, driving by this fountain to get to our condo. It's hard to tell from the photo, but you could fit quite a few people into one of those seashells!

One night we ate dinner in Hanalei and then posed for pictures by the Hanalei River.

This is Mike being sexy. Like you couldn't tell!

This is me being...sunburned. I'm not nearly as creative in my posing choices as my husband.

Coming up next: The hike to end all hikes!