Last time I was on Maui, after visiting the Seven Pools at Ohe'o, one carload turned around and went back through Hana, and I continued on around the South shore. The road wasn't bad at all - just watch out for the culverts / cattle grates and slow down when approaching them. I beat the other car back to Kihei by a good 45 minutes, and only passed a few other cars the whole way. Definitely the way to go if you're not interested in the sites along the "Road to Hana" in my opinion.