Hawaii Ghost Guy Lopaka Kapanui breaks down ghosts vs. spirits, shares Halloween events

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A storyteller is bridging past and present, ensuring the stories of Hawaii are not only remembered, but experienced.

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Lopaka Kapanui, known as the Hawaii Ghost Guy and owner of Mysteries of Hawaii, joined Hawaii News Now Sunrise to share his take on ghosts and spirits — and where to hear more of his stories.

Kapanui defines a ghost as residual energy, comparing it to a video recording that does the same thing all the time.

“Spirits are the ones that can actually communicate with you because they know they’re dead,” Kapanui said. “A ghost is like a YouTube recording — you tell it to stop, it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t even know you’re there.”

Kapanui, who leads ghost tours across Oahu to different sites, said he loves the people who come.

“The people who come, I get to know them, and the combination of people actually determines what goes on during the tour,” he said. “If something happens while the tour is going on, it’s the people that make it happen, and that’s fun to watch.”

Kapanui says it’s important to continue telling the stories of the ‘āina.

“Our living culture exists because of the aina and because of the spirits that are attached to it, which are constantly with us. They never, never go away,” Kapanui said.

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Where to hear ghost stories

You can hear these kinds of stories 11 a.m. Sunday at Mililani Library, and at the Honolulu Zoo, Kapanui said.

Additional dates include Oct. 29 at Vintage Books, Oct. 27 on the Ghost Pub Crawl, and on Halloween night Oct. 31 at the Blue Note, he said.

Kapanui has spent nearly 30 years sharing the stories, history and cultural traditions of the Hawaiian Islands, according to his bio.

A master in the tradition of hai moolelo, he weaves together folklore, documented history and firsthand accounts.

He is also the author of six books, including the nonfiction work “Hawaii’s Night Marchers: A History of the Huaka‘i Po,”

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For more information, visit mysteries of Hawaii.

Or visit his Instagram.