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
Community Voices: Ka Moʻolelo o Kaululāʻau and other ghost stories from Lānaʻi
This is how the story of a kolohe boy who was sent to a haunted island became inseparable from the island itself. Lānaʻi was no longer just the place where Kaululāʻau was banished; it became “Lānaʻi a Kaululāʻau,” the island forever associated with the young aliʻi who rid the place of its ghosts.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiOctober 27, 2026
Wandering Spirits in an ‘Ewa Neighborhood
Before the suburbs and before sugar, the ‘Ewa plain had a thriving Native Hawaiian community and was renowned for its poi. It was also within the region known as Kaupe‘a, the gathering place for wandering spirits ... who perhaps wander there still.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiOctober 21, 2026
Pressing Ghost in Kōke‘e
Cultures all around the world have a name for the ghost that sits on your chest, keeping you immobile and terrified when you wake in the middle of the night. The same is true for Hawai‘i, and here's a tale of one such frightening experience in a cabin in Kōke‘e.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiOctober 14, 2026
The Hauntings of Waimea Canyon
Carved by rainwater over ages, Kauai's Waimea Canyon holds mysteries both ancient and modern. Have you ever felt watched while hiking the canyon's trails?
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiOctober 07, 2026
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
