September 22 - Queen's Bath and Hanalei

Queen's Bath is a large, lava swimming pool, located in Princeville. It's walking distance from where we were staying. This is a beautiful spot. Don't miss it! There's a short downhill trail from the parking lot, which can be very slippery. There is a small waterfall halfway down the trail.

When you get to the bottom of the trail, there's a sign warning you of the dangers of Queen's Bath.

In order to get to the Bath, you have to walk across the rocks about 250 feet to the left. If it's low tide, you'll see it. If it's high tide, you won't. The crystal clear water is very deep in the center of the pool. There are fish in it so be prepared to get nipped at.

On the way across the rocks to the Bath, there's an area where people were diving into the ocean. While it looked fun, it looked really dangerous. I wouldn't recommend it for those who aren't used to swimming in high surf or jumping off cliffs.

We saw dolphins and sea turtles while at Queen's Bath. We also saw what looked like black, saltwater tadpoles. I haven't been able to find out what these are. If anyone knows, please tell me.

Later, we drove to Hanalei on Route 580. This is a lovely road with several one-lane bridges. There is a scenic lookout at the beginning of the road. You can see the valley, dotted with taro patches. Taro is used to make poi, a Hawaiian staple.

There are several beaches on Route 580. We stopped at Ha'ena Beach Park for a quick dip. Across the street from the beach is the Manini-holo Dry Cave. It is 300 yards deep. This is just a cool thing to see.

Located at the end of Route 580 is Ke'e Beach. Right before the beach is Waikanaloa Wet Cave. This is another cool thing to see.