Ghosts of Hawaii

Hawaii became the 50th state in the Union on August 21, 1959. In 2014, it had a population of 1.42 million. There are hundreds of islands in the Hawaiian Islands but only eight major ones. Only seven of those are inhabited. There are 483 documented cemeteries in Hawaii and while this started out to be an article of the ten most haunted cemeteries in Hawaii, I could only find one cemetery with any claims to being haunted. But that is not to say that Hawaii doesn’t have its fair share of ghosts. Here is one cemetery and 7 other haunted places.

The Hilton Hawaii Village Beach Resort and Spa opened in 1955 and is the largest hotel in the Hilton chain of hotels. It is one of the largest hotels in the world. Sitting on 22 acres, it has Waikiki’s widest white sand beach.

There is a ghost here of a beautiful young woman. She is often seen walking in the hallways of the hotel and occasionally seen walking along the beach. There are two theories as to the identity of the young woman. One is that she is the spirit of a lady who was killed in one of the tower rooms of the resort. Her murder was never solved. The other theory is that the ghost is actually Pele, the Goddess of Fire, who lives on Mauna Loa.

Ford Island is a tiny island covering only 441 acres located in the northeast section of Pearl Harbor. Its native name, Moku’ume’ume, means “Island of Attraction.”

It is no wonder that Ford Island is haunted considering how many people died here during the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Residents of the island report hearing footsteps and voices coming from empty rooms in their houses. Others have said they find objects have been moved from place to place or even just stacked up in piles.

Shadowy figures are seen on the north side of the island wandering around the buildings and trees. A misty, glowing apparition has been seen floating through houses. Electrical appliances and lights sometimes turn on and off in the middle of the night.

Visitors to the airstrip claim to have a sudden feeling of doom and urgency, like something terrible is about to happen. Others have said they have heard what sounds like many men in boots running by, even though no one is seen.

One of the buildings has locked doors that open and close on their own, always followed by a draft of cold air. Unseen men groaning in pain are also heard throughout this building.

Uniformed ghost soldiers are seen all over the island, wandering aimlessly as if lost.

Nu’uanu Pali Drive is also known as Old Pali Highway. It runs 13 miles from Kailua to Honolulu on the island of Oahu. This highway has been rebuilt twice and the locals are adamant about it being haunted.

Starting in Kailua, the first haunted place is Ulupo Heiau State Monument. There is not much left of this ancient site, but it was originally a temple where the native Hawaiians came to ask for success in wars and harvests. There are plenty of spirits roaming the area.

One somewhat silly legend that is told about the Old Pali Highway is about the goddess Pele and her lover, the demigod Kamapua’a, who was half pig and half man. They had a not so amicable breakup. They agreed that they would never see each other again, but Pele decided that wasn’t enough so she cursed the road. The legend says you cannot transport any form of pork on the highway. If you try your vehicle will break down and an old woman and her dog will come up to you. The only way to get the car to start is to feed whatever pork you have to the dog.

Another haunted spot along the way is the Nu’uanu Pali State Wayside. It is located at the spot of a major battle when King Kamehameha was trying to unify all the islands. Hundreds of warriors were pushed over the edge, falling to their deaths. There have been many, many reports of their ghosts roaming the area.

Another story of ancient warriors takes place all over the islands but is more prevalent on this stretch of road. The Huaka’ipo are also called the Night Marchers. They are a group of cursed ancient fighters who are doomed to march forever. They march in a single line playing drums and chanting, sometimes carrying weapons or torches. The only way to keep them from trying to kill you is to lay face down on the ground as a sign of respect.

The Dole Cannery Signature Theatres is located on Iwilei Road in Honolulu and has 18 theatres. It is supposedly built over an ancient Hawaiian Heiau, which is a place of worship or for human sacrifices.

Theatre Number 14 is the most haunted. There is a ghost of a man who looks to be about 50 years old. He sits in the top corner of the theatre and just watches the moviegoers.

The bathroom next to that theatre is also haunted. The sounds of children crying and screaming can be heard. They are thought to be the children that died in a school bus crash nearby.

Mililani Cemetery is located in Waipahu on Kamehameha Highway in Honolulu County. It has over 11,000 interments with the oldest marked grave going back to 1890.

The story here is about the statue near the center of the cemetery. Supposedly, if you drive into the graveyard at precisely midnight and drive around the statue three times, then stop in front of it with your headlights lighting it up, the statue will begin to move. It will stare at you and if you wait long enough the movements begin to look like dancing. If you turn the car off while sitting there it won’t start again until the statue is finished dancing.

Queen Kapi’olani Regional Park is in Honolulu at the east end of Waikiki. It is a 300-acre park named after the queen consort of King David Kalakaua.

Hundreds of years ago a battle was fought here and ever since, citizens and visitors have reported hearing battle cries and seeing warriors dressed in ancient battle attire fighting all over the area. These ghosts are called Huaka’ipo, which means Night Marchers. Moanalua Gardens and Kualoa Beach Park are also haunted by the Night Marchers.

It was also the site of many human sacrifices and unexplained sounds and smells are often reported.

The Diamond Head Tennis Center is located on Paki Avenue in Honolulu. It is a public facility with ten courts.

There is a ghost here that can be seen just before dark. He is seen pacing back and forth, almost as if he is guarding something. People who have seen him says he smells of rotting flesh. If anyone tries to approach him, he vanishes.

Voices and strange noises are often heard, especially when there are few people around.

Barbers Point was a naval air station in Kapolei in Honolulu County on Oahu Island. It closed down in the 1990s and reopened as the Kalaeloa Airport in 1999.

There is a ghost story that occurred at one of the gates leading into the Barbers Point Naval Air Station. A new security guard that was working one night saw a yellow Volkswagen car parked off to the side of the road just before the gatehouse. He saw someone slumped over the steering wheel so he went to check it out. He found a young woman who appeared to be asleep. He tried to wake her up but could not.

He went back to the guardhouse and called it in, giving a description of the car and the license plate number. He was shocked to hear that a young woman with matching car and license plate had died years ago nearby and she has been seen in the area ever since. When he turned around to go back to the car, it had vanished.