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 kūpuna, 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 "Hawaiʻi’s Night Marchers: A History of the Huaka‘i Po" and "Kahuna," our first full-length novel.
As weekly columnists, 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
What Haunts Waterfront Plaza
Back in the day, when this complex was known as Restaurant Row, many of us enjoyed being pleasantly haunted by ’50s tunes at Rose City Diner or catching sight of celebrities at Black Orchid. But even then, some people were haunted by far more disturbing sights, perhaps owing to a cemetery that had been at the same location long ago.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 30, 2026
Drums of Kāne‘ākī
In the back of Mākaha Valley stands Kāneʻākī Heiau, a temple built and enlarged many times by Native Hawaiians and restored in 1969. It is believed to have started out as devoted to the god Lono and agriculture, and King Kamehameha dedicated it to Kū, god of war. The heiau is difficult to access now, surrounded by the gated community of Mauna ʻOlu Estates, but residents there report that it has ways of making its presence known.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 23, 2026
The Forgotten Landscape of Mapunapuna
Tides and rain, time and spirits converge in this now-industrial area mauka of the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Here is the true history of a region shaped first by nature and then by two different cultures in two different eras, where traces remain of days and people long past.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 16, 2026
Through the Eyes of a Princess
Princess Kaʻiulani spent much of her tragically brief life at her beloved Waikīkī estate, ʻĀinahau. Over time, the property changed hands and developed into the hotel we know today. But there are stories the Princess is with us still in spirit at the site.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 09, 2026
Sightings of Pele at Lē‘ahi
You might associated Pele most with the active volcanoes of Hawai‘i Island but ancient myths — and contemporary encounters — tell of her presence on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu as well.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 02, 2026
Haunted Banyans at Ali‘iolani Hale
The two banyan trees next to Ali‘iolani Hale were planted in the 1880s. Such trees carry a wealth of symbolism throughout Asian cultures — enlightenment, divinity, magic, longevity, strength, and more. Legends also surround banyan trees as the abodes of ghosts and mysterious spirit beings. That was the experience of one Hawai‘i sheriff, who shared a frightening encounter with our authors.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 26, 2026
Among the Graves at Kawaiaha‘o
Nearly 200 years ago, American missionaries at Kawaiaha‘o Church introduced the Western practice of graveyards with tombstones. While the living carry on with church services and wedding receptions and happy occasions, grief seems to bind some spirits to the graveyard — unhappy souls who make their presence known.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 19, 2026
The Ghost of a Queen
Queen Emma was instrumental in establishing the Anglican Church in Hawaii and in 1867, she founded St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls, to uplift the young women of Hawai‘i. The school meant the world to her, so is it any wonder that people claim to still see her presence there? Ghostly nuns and mysterious voices have also been encountered, spirits that seem more nurturing than frightening.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 12, 2026
Beneath the Sand at Hūnānāniho
Waimānalo is one of the earliest human settlements on O‘ahu, dating back as much as a thousand years. For Native Hawaiians, it was a pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge. Later the area hosted a sugar plantation then a military airfield. In 2021, the City and County of Honolulu restored Waimānalo Bay Beach Park's traditional name, Hūnānāniho. Some say that's not the only presence from the past that walks the beach when the moon is just right.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 05, 2026
Secrets of the Scottish Rite Cathedral
ASD's ghost and history columnists themselves had a very strange experience giving a tour of Makiki's Scottish Rite Cathedral. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry was welcomed into the Islands in 1874 by King David Kalākaua and John Owen Dominis, husband of Queen Lili‘uokalani. Its members have a long history of service to community, with an air of Masonic mystery.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 29, 2026
Night Marchers at the Naniloa
Babe Ruth and President Franklin D. Roosevelt are among the Mainland luminaries who planted banyan trees along Banyan Drive. The history of the Hilo area surrounding the Naniloa Hotel goes back to ancient times, and as hotel staff tell it, on some nights the old days come marching through in a mist.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 22, 2026
Silent Spirits at the Hilo Hawaiian
Life thrived along Hilo Bay and Waiākea Peninsula, with abundant taro lo‘i, fish ponds, for centuries before Western contact. Spiritual life was ever-present and the landscape was dominated by the towering Kūakaʻananuʻu heiau, where men were sacrificed in elaborate ceremonies. Now the site is home to Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, and guests share stories of spectral visitors from long ago.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 15, 2026