Mysteries of Hawaiʻi has been named No. 1 on USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Ghost Tour in 2025. The company, run by the husband-and-wife duo Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui, has taken the top spot on the list for three consecutive years.
Mysteries of Hawaiʻi was founded in 1997 and offers tours and storytelling events in Waikīkī and Honolulu. The pair are also weekly columnists for Aloha State Daily.
“This recognition means so much to us, and it shows that our business is not just about ghost stories,” said Lopaka Kapanui in a written statement. “It’s about making connections with every person we meet along the way. Storytelling builds bridges, reminding us that we’re all connected through shared history and human experience.”
Mysteries of Hawaiʻi has been among the top five ghost tours in the nation for six consecutive years. The list of top ghost tours is selected by USA Today's editors and readers.
Kapanui will also be a headliner in a special performance with the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, Oct. 18. The one-night-only performance is called “Hapa Halloween: Mysteries of Hawaiʻi in Concert,” and takes place at Hawaiʻi Theatre. Attendees can also arrive an hour before the concert for a costume contest and trick of treating.
“The really cool thing about the concert is when I spoke to the conductor, I told him that a lot of times stories that I write are inspired by music,” Kapanui told Aloha State Daily earlier this year. “There's a story I wrote about Princess Kaʻiulani that was inspired by Claude Debussy — his composition called ʻArabesque.’ And then I told him, there's a night marcher story that's kind of brutal, but that was inspired by a group in the 70s called ʻThree Dog Night,’ and the title of the song is ʻMama Told Me (Not to Come).’ It's about these people who go on a night marchers trail and are told not to go, and it's kind of brutal.”
“Hapa Halloween: Mysteries of Hawaiʻi in Concert” will be the first in this season’s HapaSymphony series, which features local performers as headliners, alongside classical musicians. Previously, HSO has performed alongside Kapena and ʻukulele virtuoso Taimane Gardner, among others, as part of its programming. For the upcoming concert, the orchestra will be led by Conductor Michael-Thomas Foumai, who is also its composer in residence. Get tickets.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
