Lava bed pool: An enchanted dip into an ancient world

At the dead end of a residential street in Princeville, the lush, leafy and tony hamlet on the North Shore of Kauai, we are eyeing a secret passage within a clump of trees.

My husband ponders. "This is it?"

Judging from the stock-issue sign we just passed -- "Trail" -- we know this is the way to the Queen's Bath, the island's little-publicized natural lava bed pool.

No one has informed us that this also is the way to enchantment.

Once we step through the trees, the homes behind us disappear instantly behind thick brush. In a moment, modern-day culture has vanished, and we've entered the remote pasts of the ancient jungle.

As we follow a trail down a steep and volcanic red-earth slope running along a deep gulley, I realize that ancient Kauai must have looked like this when the Polynesians first settled on the island generations ago.

The strange, bare-rooted hala trees we pass were growing millenniums before humans ever came ashore. Yet we're about 20 feet from a house with a manicured lawn and air conditioning.

As we descend along the path, a rush of water suddenly fills our ears, the unmistakable sound of a current running at a good clip. Then we come upon a stream that fans itself into a waterfall, roaring and cascading into a circular wading bath lined with palm trees.

It's almost an embarrassment of exoticism, like a peacock exhibiting its tail, unconscious of its own beauty.

The plunge pool at the base of the falls is perfectly round, and deep enough for a person to fully submerge. The setting is like a magnet, pulling us to a halt. I half expect a Polynesian princess to appear and dip her feet in that cool, tiny bath.

Continuing down the semi-muddy ochre hillside, I catch sight of the ocean just over the tree line. The waterfall and path escort each other down, and we follow along, over roots and rocks, until we finally reach the base -- a huge lava bed.

The stream we met at the top of the trail burbles off into separate channels, flowing between volcanic blobs of stone to drain off the edge of the beds and shoot into the sea. Here, too, the trees taper off just short of the edge of the cliffs, where the blue waves of the Pacific rise and fall against the rocks below.

As we follow a path of red-earth shoe prints along the black lava beds, we know we're headed in the right direction, walking carefully in our water shoes past tiny tidal pools that sit impossibly far from the surf below. My mind can't quite conceive of the water reaching up this high -- but clearly it does.

As we turn a stone corner, we are atop a ledge that peers down into the Queen's Bath, a gargantuan pool of transparent water carved idyllically into the lava.

As if on cue, a small crowd of pool-watchers cheers. But it's not for us -- it's for a massive swell that practically takes a deep breath before pounding against the rocks, churning and swirling into the Bath, creating a bubbly basin for the swimmers, snorkelers and onlookers.

Grooves and gulleys in the stone create waterfalls that pour into the Bath and, as if dreamed up by a high-end pool designer, another large channel siphons off the water. The sea drains in, the sea drains out. Only Pele, the Hawaiian goddess that rules the volcano, could have created a spot so naturally, perfectly elegant.

My husband leads the way down the rocks along the banks of this stone crater, and we carefully submerge into cool seawater, which has sloshed in and out of this gigantic lava hole for centuries. Darting around my feet are tiny, vivid-red fish.

In the distance, the coastline stands sentinel in the afternoon sun -- behind the mountains begins Kauai's Na Pali coastline and Waimea Canyon. Above us, on a towering lava perch, several Germans point to the horizon: the distant mists of whales are visible to the naked eye. Visitors here also have been known to spot seals and sea turtles.

Another swell thumps the shore, bursting up over the black lava bed to create a fizzy swirl in the pool, with waterfalls that get the small crowd to ooh and aah, as if it's a fireworks display. A young man on the rocky bank shouts to his girlfriend to cue up her camera and then gleefully executes a shallow belly-flop into the Bath. The gigantic boulders belched up by the Earth eons ago appear bleached under the waves, having been scrubbed by the sea for thousands of lifetimes.

My husband climbs atop a rock in the middle of the transparent water and is perfectly framed by the expanse of ocean to his right, while behind him is the cliff side, topped by the leafy green foliage that is the natural signature of the rain-blessed North Shore.

This array of intrepid tourists -- with their cameras and joyous hoots -- couldn't be further from the white-glove atmosphere of The Princeville Resort, but we are practically within shouting distance of the hotel's golf course.

The Queen's Bath sums up the beauty and beast that is Kauai. Without the red, raw violence of the volcanoes that burst open, the deadly lava that curled and coiled, and the hypnotic snarl and surge of the sea churning against this hollow for thousands of years -- where would we have spent such a lovely afternoon, sunning and dunking ourselves in the liquid cool to the sounds of surf and sighs?

IF YOU GO

Getting there -- Take Highway 56 north to Princeville. Turn right onto Ka Haku Road. Turn right on Punahele, then right onto Kapiolani. Park along the road at the end of Kapiolani. A dirt trail runs along the stream for about 30 yards. At the end of the trail, turn left along the lava beds for about 250 yards to the Queen's Bath.

Parking -- Parking at the trailhead is limited to roughly six cars. The neighbors will not be happy about your parking on the street or in front of their homes. As with many parking areas at natural attractions in Kauai, the early bird gets the worm.

Timing -- Check the tide tables to make sure you're there just as high tide hits and the waves begin to break over the lava beds. If the tide is too high, you'll never safely walk across the beds, let alone find the pool. If it's too low, you'll miss the drama. Tune in to local weather reports, too; the path can be slippery after a long bout of rain.

Considerations -- The area is unsupervised, so bring a sense of regard for your own safety and that of others. Don't dive in the pool. Bring a camera and a towel. Water shoes with a firm grip are recommended.

Kauai information -- kauai-hawaii.com