You’ll see Hawaii’s only salt ponds still in production across from Salt Pond Beach, just outside Hanapepe. Generations of Hawaiians have carefully tended the beds in which the sun turns seawater into salt crystals. Tinged with red clay, ‘alae, the salt is used as a health remedy as well as for seasoning food and drying fish. Although the salt ponds are off-limits to visitors, 6-acre Salt Pond Beach Park is a great place to explore, offering a curved reddish-gold beach between two rocky points, a protective reef that creates lagoon-like conditions for swimming and snorkeling (talk to the lifeguard first if waves are up), tide pools, and a natural wading pool for kids. Locals flock here on weekends for individual recreation and large family gatherings. Facilities include showers, restrooms, a campground, and picnic areas.