Our hiking guidebook noted some oft-overlooked pools located not far from the road back to Hana, so we wanted to pay these a visit after returning from Waimoku Falls – the roadside trailhead was fairly obvious from the 8-10 cars parked against the fenceline along the road (which was also a bit discouraging as we would not at all have the place to ourselves). We had to park a couple hundred yards up the road, which we quickly walked back to the break in the fence, following the use trail eastward toward the ocean. After passing a small homemade sign urging respect for the area and for all trash to be packed out, we realized the need for such advice – the pools themselves are apparently a popular party spot for young people, and there were throngs of them there ahead of us. Not that we have anything against folks having a good time, but it wasn’t at all our scene for the moment – we chose to bypass the pools and follow the path further out toward the ocean, which was in itself a beautiful little excursion. To the north, we could see a piney point jutting out into the sea (we discovered later this point is the southern boundary of Hamoa Beach, a community just south of Hana), and to the south was the jagged shoreline of the Kipahulu coast. The mountains of Haleakala’s eastern flank rose to the west – it was gorgeous. After a few minutes, we returned to the car, passing even more young people headed down the trail to the pools. We continued on to Hana, our exploration of the “beyond” (the area south and west of Hana) complete for this trip.