Did you know that Kona and Keauhou have haunted places and numerous ghostly sightings? Sure, Hawaii is not one of the top ten most haunted places in the US , but since I began living here two years ago, there are so many stories of people seeing ghosts, having strange things happen to them and so on, that I thought I’d share a few for Halloween!
1. The Kona Lagoon was torn down in 2004 after sitting vacant since 1988 when Japanese developers went belly up, but the second story behind the demise of the hotel was that the hotel itself was haunted. A story from the Honolulu Advertiser called it cursed. ”Surrounded by ancient temples and archaeological sites, it was built on the dwelling place of supernatural twin sisters, ‘aumakua who took the form of lizards, according to Hawaiian legend. Security guards hired to watch the property when the 462-room hotel closed in 1988 were frightened at night, said Joe Castelli, who lives at the neighboring Keauhou Kona Tennis and Racquet Club. ”They told me that they would see lights up there and hear Hawaiians singing and talking,” Castelli said. “…But when they got there, they didn’t find anything. So they said they just didn’t go anymore”, the article states.
Thousands were killed at the human sacrificial heiaus on that property during the time when Hawaiian villages thrived in the Keauhou area and to this day, nothing has been built there. A Hawaiian friend of mine whose mother worked at the Kona Lagoon said that most of the employees left because of the hauntings. She herself had trays flung up at her by angry spirits. My friend who is very attuned to the spirits said the hotel structure blocked them and they could not be released. When the hotel was torn down and the site was blessed, the energy forces of the spirits seemed to have calmed down. The heiau bases have been rebuilt, but the site remains fenced off and blocked from the public with no clear plans to use the land for commercial property.
2. Pele sightings-My husband has seen the ghost of a girl in our home a few times and just last month, during a slumber party for my daughter, two of the party guests saw a young girl out on the lanai. They thought it was one of their friends and when they both went to the screen door and called her name, she vanished. Some people on the island think that if you see a young girl, especially if she is wearing white, it is the spirit of Pele, the goddess of the volcano. People say they have seen a lone woman standing on Saddle Road and she asks for a ride. Friends say if you see this, ALWAYS pick her up.
3. A friend of mine who works at the Kona Sheraton (formally the Keauhou Bay Resort and before that the Kona Surf) say there are two little girls that play in the hallway of the hotel where the guest rooms are located. The guests call security to tell them to stop. The security guard has been getting that phone call for years and knows that there is nothing he can do, as the girls are just ghosts. The staff also say there is a ghost that stands at the cliff in front of the hotel from time to time and he just disappears when you look away and then back again.
I did a little research and found a post about the haunting of the Kona Surf: “To locals, it’s obvious: the Kona Surf was built on an ancient battleground, and the ghosts are dead warriors. Bones and dirt are crucial, especially here on Hawaii, the first settled island which was home to warring kings. After battles, the dead were interred in unmarked burial caves. Construction crews frequently come upon human bones, and are required by law to stop work and call in archeologists and Burial Council officials to inspect the remains. A priest may come in to give a blessing. Apparently, this didn’t happen with the Kona Surf.
Personally-I was standing near the side of the hotel near the ancient remains of a village near the chapel and felt overcome with some strange force after I was “talking to the spirits”-just saying Aloha and such and almost passed out. I ran off the property and felt better. A spiritual friend warned me about inviting spirits in and not having the training to surround myself with a white light of protection. Again, this was over a year ago and I did not know what to think of this. Now I absolutely believe it.
4. Another spiritual friend of mine, Carol, was walking behind me at the bay next to Keauhou Bay within a few hundred feet of where a village once stood. As we were going across the rocks, she was walking behind me and she let out a cry. I turned around and she was down on the ground. Being 70 years old, I thought she may have tripped and she said that she was PUSHED down. I thought she was nuts, as this was before I heard about the spirits of the ancient Hawaiians. She said that she had felt an energy come up from behind her and then shove her down. We got out of there very quickly!
5. When I ask people who have lived on this island for years, invariably they have a story about seeing a spirit, getting “pressed”, where the spirit pushes on your chest and you feel like you can not breathe or have seen dark shapes along the roads at night. I ask them why no one from the mainland really knows about this aspect of the island and they say they just don’t focus on it. However, after looking up “haunted Hawaii” on Google, I see that my stories are not alone on the web! This was news to me that the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, located near downtown Kona had a nice little write up about it being haunted, as well. “Footsteps. Apparitions. Hauntings. Ancient Polynesian warriors. The pissed off bones of the Hawaiian King himself, buried at an undisclosed location someplace beneath the hotel, that only his ancestors know about. A portrait of Queen Lilliuokalani, that glares at you and breathes. It turns out this place is indeed haunted by more than just Hawaiian royalty, but by dozens of angry, restless spirits. You can even see them during daylight hours — their hair-raising reviews on Tripadvisorwill surely have you heading for the rolling green hills of The Big Island — or flinging yourself into the nearest live volcano.”
My husband believes that our island, due to the vibration of the volcano, which is made of lava, which is silica based, is resonating at a higher frequency which puts us closer to the 4th dimension. This allows those living in the other world to be closer to those living in this world. Or is that that the Hawaiians so truly believed that their spirits were locked in their bones that the desecration of their bones by unthinking construction workers through the years has unleashed their unholy fury upon the land? Who knows, but the unearthing of bones and the wrath from the ancients still is causing problems in Oahu, as well. Check out this story:
Interstate H-1 Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii’s busiest freeway is the famous east to west Interstate H-1, and it is also the most haunted route on the island. The ghostly tale begins in 1953 when troubled workers dug through the mountain on a daily basis while apparitions of Hawaiian warriors did their best to frighten the road crew away. The men were continuously taunted by the spirits with angry appearances from the miffed apparitions who refused to be up heaved from their burial grounds deep within the mountain. Scared workers walked off the job without question which made the excavation turn into a seven year long event.
New crews were hired to continue with the project that was quickly becoming known as one of the most haunted in the area. Endless piles of ancient human bones were found from the non-stop digging. These bones were considered sacred, thus making digging a problematic issue for the worried crew. The warrior spirits were highly agitated by the presence of the workers, and the crew started to rebel by refusing to dig any further. Eventually the highway was completed in 1960. A friend of mine just told me a few days ago that equipment moves around the site of the H-1 and a tractor was moved two miles from the site with no apparent tracks during the night.
When you come to Hawaii-come in respect for the land and the culture that resides here. And if you stay in Keauhou, notice if your dreams don’t seem a little more vivid..there IS an energy here. Happy Halloween!
Great Story Julie! Yes, I have heard many of these same tales, I have felt the energies and seen the images. It is part of the amazement of Kona! Love it! And the Spirits Love me. Aloha, Nancy
Thanks Nancy for your comments! If my mainland friends see all of my Kona friends saying, “It’s true!” it may be easier to let them know there is definitely something here.
Thanks Nancy for your comments! If my mainland friends see all of my Kona friends saying, “It’s true!” it may be easier to let them know there is definitely something here.
Wow, Julie!! I don’t know what else to say. You and your family’s personal encounters are firsthand–no story embellishments. That’s amazing. When I go to Hawaii the next time, I’m definitely going to check out these places!
Cindy-I did not mention that my son actually saw his Lego’s spinning around on the rug by themselves when he was playing and our TV turned itself on while we were standing in another room..yep..I keep a BIG open mind around here and just bless them and keep going.
Awesome, info…do you do walks?
Deb-I can show you the most haunted area near the Sheraton, and where I was overcome by the spirits. I was going to say, I can tell you how I called them, but them my spiritual friends would say that is just dangerous..possession is probably NOT a fun feeling..;-)
Awesome, info…do you do walks?
Deb-I can show you the most haunted area near the Sheraton, and where I was overcome by the spirits. I was going to say, I can tell you how I called them, but them my spiritual friends would say that is just dangerous..possession is probably NOT a fun feeling..;-)
Hi Julie,
Thank you for sharing! Being a newbie to the island, I wondered what stories were going to come up for Halloween!
Thank you for this great article!
Thanks for reading Lenore!
Hi Julie,
Thank you for sharing! Being a newbie to the island, I wondered what stories were going to come up for Halloween!
Thank you for this great article!
Thanks for reading Lenore!
I live up in Kuakini Makai, and I see subtle shadows and movements daily
I always think it’s a gecko or a ferret, but in focus nothing… I did not know about this aspect, but it makes sense. We are moving to Keahou on the 31st, may we exchange kindness to each other (bow).
I live up in Kuakini Makai, and I see subtle shadows and movements daily
I always think it’s a gecko or a ferret, but in focus nothing… I did not know about this aspect, but it makes sense. We are moving to Keahou on the 31st, may we exchange kindness to each other (bow).
Cindy-I did not mention that my son actually saw his Lego’s spinning around on the rug by themselves when he was playing and our TV turned itself on while we were standing in another room..yep..I keep a BIG open mind around here and just bless them and keep going.