Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui
For more than 25 years, I’ve been sharing Hawai‘i’s haunted history, weaving together folklore, history, and firsthand accounts to bring our ghost stories to life. As a Native Hawaiian born and raised on O‘ahu, I grew up listening to traditional mo‘olelo from my kupuna, stories that shaped my passion for preserving our islands’ supernatural and cultural heritage. That passion has led me to a lifetime of storytelling, earning a special citation from the Hawai‘i State Legislature for my work in keeping these legends alive.
My wife, Tanya, and I run Mysteries of Hawai‘i, a locally owned ghost tour company dedicated to exploring the eerie and unexplained. Tanya, a lifelong horror enthusiast and researcher of hauntings and native legends, and I have co-authored Hawaii’s Night Marchers: A History of the Huaka‘i Po and Kahuna, our first full-length novel.
We are thrilled to share our love for Hawaii’s history, haunted and otherwise, with Aloha State Daily readers. Hawai‘i has some of the most chilling and fascinating supernatural tales in the world, and we can’t wait to bring them to you.
Latest from Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui
Beneath the moon at Alakoko
Historians say that on certain nights, the Kauaʻi fishpond is not so still, and the riverbank not so empty.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 13, 2025

Heap of Misfortune in Mō‘ili‘ili Cemetery
Nearly a century ago, the Islands were stunned by the case of Myles Fukunaga, who kidnapped and murdered 10-year-old George Gill Jamieson, and was executed for his crimes. Does his guilty spirit haunt his gravesite?
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 06, 2025

Echoes of the Past at Poli‘ahu
The remains of this keiau on Kaua‘i carry a heavy burden of the past.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 30, 2025

Vanishing lights in the Tunnel of Trees
This week's ghost tale comes from Kaua‘i, where the Tunnel of Trees near Kōloa, while beautiful by day, is home to eerie experiences by night.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 23, 2025

These gates can’t keep the ghosts out
The gates of ʻIolani Palace, each with its own name and purpose, are decorated with gold painted finials and adorned with the Hawaiian Kingdom Coat of Arms. While accounts of mysterious disturbances related to the gates have been shared, it is evident they still hold mana.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 16, 2025
From haunted hotel to haunted museum
Spooky stories shared by staff at the No. 1 Capitol District Building, which was originally the Hawaiian Hotel that opened in February 1872.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 09, 2025
The women who march at night in Kaimukī
A little place history, as well as stories of "a female procession of spirits" at Puʻu o Kaimukī.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 02, 2025

The Statue That Watches
At Diamond Head Memorial Park, a statue of Jesus takes on a completely different feel after dark. What many people don't remember now is that the park was born out of crisis in Honolulu cemeteries at the turn of the last century — too few of them for the growing city, and often in poor condition.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJune 25, 2025

Haunted History of Hilton Hawaiian Village
Over the years, staff and guests alike have reported seeing, even speaking with, mysterious lone figures who then vanish without a trace.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJune 18, 2025

More than mail at this post office
Does the spirit of a postmaster still haunt these halls?
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJune 11, 2025

Beware Nu‘uanu Pali Drive
Lush and beautiful as it may be, Nu‘uanu Valley also has a dark side as the site of the battle that defined King Kamehameha's Hawai‘i and as the home to infamously haunted Morgan's Corner.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJune 04, 2025

Smoke and Whispers at the State Capitol
Something more than the memory of thousands of failed bills haunts the State Capitol, possibly including a gubernatorial ghost.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiMay 28, 2025

Strange occurrences at Diamond Head
The legend of Hawaii’s night marchers has endured over time, and the ghostly procession is still seen today all around the islands, even at Lē‘ahi, the Hawaiian name for Diamond Head.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiMay 21, 2025

The Haunting Legacy of Ali‘iōlani Hale
The Massie Case may still haunt this building — literally!
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiMay 14, 2025

Mysterious Whispers at Kawaiaha‘o
Spectral experiences at Kawaiaha‘o Church and its neighboring cemetery, which sit on lands in use by Hawaiians since before Westerners arrived.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiMay 07, 2025

Lost Time at Topa Tower
Weird experiences at the site of the former Honolulu Fort suggest that the boundaries between past, present and future might be porous.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiApril 30, 2025

A Hair Pulling Ghost at the Pier
Honolulu's waterfront changed dramatically 100 years ago, but the presence of an even older past did not.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiApril 23, 2025

A Haunting at a Princely Hotel
Hospitals, and the places where they once stood, can be a source of strange experiences. Here, our columnists share a firsthand account.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiApril 16, 2025
Hawaiian History Meets Feng Shui
Looking into the eerie energies surrounding the Mānoa Chinese Cemetery.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiApril 09, 2025

Bringing Pork Over the Pali
Kama‘āina know itʻs bad luck. Even visitors have heard itʻs bad luck. But do you know why?
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiApril 02, 2025

The cave of an ancient shark god
On the Wai‘anae Coast near Mākua is Kāneana Cave. In distant ages, the cave was underwater and the home of the shark god, Kāmohoali‘i. His romance with a mortal woman produced a son with a terrifying nature.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiMarch 26, 2025