Mysteries of Honolulu with Lopaka Kapanui

My family and I went on the Waikiki ghost tour this past December. We all had an amazing time. What stands out is not only his beautiful storytelling, but his reverence for the history and the people involved in these stories. My mom and I were born on Oahu and hearing some lesser known stories and history of our birthplace was particularly intriguing. Lopaka and his wife are wonderful people and I am glad I stumbled upon this tour. Almost as if I was drawn to it. I will definitely be taking one of his other tours next time we visit.

I went on this tour earlier this evening with a private group and it was so much fun! Lopaka and his wife are so personable and professional. My group was about 15 – 20 people from the Young Government Leaders. They met us at the Kunia park & ride and then took us on a narrated van ride to our destination. You can customize your tour to see different areas and with different themes. We visited several sacred sights in the Waianae area and Lopaka told us history, legends and true crime stories of that area. These are places that I would have never known to look for on my own. He also did some Hawaiian chants/​prayers and explained custom and local superstition to us so that we could be respectful. There was no big BOO moment when we all ran screaming from something out of Ghostbusters… it was spooky & spine tingling in a very classy and cognitive way that my 30 & 40 something group thoroughly enjoyed. There are so many things he told us that I can’t wait to read more about! Highly recommend.

We had an entertaining time with Lopaka. We were disappointed when the tour ended as we were left wanting more. But I think that’s his goal, which is to get you to go on his other ghost tours. Tour lasted only 1.5 hours. Loved the fact that he carries around an iPad because he is able to pull up photos that either he or his guests have taken showing ghosts, orbs or spiritual energy. Would recommend but his other yours are probably more interesting. Around the hustle and bustle of Waikiki, it is hard to get in a scared mood.

This is actually in reference to a review from Gabe, that I’d like to address.
I think that it is very unfair to give a one star when expectations that are clearly derived from this persons own personal lack of «reading» or lack of «researching» what he purchased. Nowhere does it say that you would be provided an «intimate» tour and for the cost of $ 40 to be taken around the island, is an unrealistic expectation. Good luck finding that deal anywhere else because it just is not available. Also, it should be noted that there is nowhere in this review that warrants a 1 star. Just because your expectations weren’t met, it doesn’t mean that it validates a single star. This just shows the lack of experience and respect for the Unilocal community. Ones stars are generally warranted when your experience was horrible, poorly treated, extremely bad service, which from your own review, wasn’t the case.
My personal experience with Lopaka Kapanui have been nothing but respectful, professional and exactly what I paid for. And, any moment that it may not be, I’m sure could be resolved with a simple conversation rather than a scathing review that tries to cause pilikia for an otherwise upstanding individual and his company. So, if you respect and value the Unilocal community, You should change your approach to what you say and how you rate a company, because it not only makes you look silly, most customers and patrons of Unilocal can read between the lines.
I have been on several tours with Lopaka and can personally say that he is a master storyteller who captivates in so many ways. I have never been disappointed and have truly cherished the experience of being on his tours. I have been scared and have laughed many times, but most importantly, I’ve learned so much from Mr. Kapanui. Anyone that wants to truly understand the mysterious places of Hawaii, must experience what Mr. Kapanui offers.

We really wanted to like this tour but just ended up being really disappointed, at least with this particular tour on this night (10÷30÷14).
First off, on the website there is no info on how long the tour is, nor how many locations we were going to go to. For $ 40 we thought we were taking a tour around the island, or at least making several stops to various places. We ended up spending the majority of the time at one single location (which I will not name) for about 2.5 hours. There was also about 50 other people there, so not too intimate of a setting in my opinion.
Also on this particular tour was another storyteller who was a faculty member of this site. He provided his own experiences with incidents that happened there. The thing is, he was just a lousy storyteller– they weren’t even captivating or cohesive stories. I’m not the only one who noticed as we brought a few friends along with us, and they didn’t really get the point of his story either. Lopaka on the other hand did a fine job.
I think the best part of it all was the comfortable bus we were shuttled in. It was funny though, that the bus driver didn’t even know how to get to the site we were going to. Lopaka had to stop in the middle of his storytelling and give him directions!
Growing up as a kid I’ve been a big fan of Glen Grant’s stories. Unfortunately this experience (at least on this particular night) did not live up to it.

Took this tour on our latest trip to Oahu. Tour had 12 people which was a little crowded on the van but we were not uncomfortable. Lopaka is a good story teller and the tour was very interesting and I learned a lot about the myths and legends as well as some good history. Tour lasted about 3 hours and included a trip to the Pali lookout, walk around the palace and walk through the cemetery. I would not say that the tour was spooky, but we did enjoy ourselves.
Biggest negative is that we had a difficult time contacting Lopaka, I left a couple of voicemails, an email and a facebook dm within a weeks time before I received a response. Not sure if this is typical, but since we were only on island for a week there was only one date we could attend and it made it a little frustrating.

Such a great experience! Wife and I went on another ghost tour and were so disappointed and felt ripped off. I did a little research and came across this tour so we decided to give it a shot. I’m so glad we did. He is such a great storyteller! I wish we were on the island for longer so we could do it all again!

Last night, I took the Pali bus tour, which included the walking tour of ‘Iolani Palace and the Kawaihao cemetary. I was highly anticipating this tour because I had heard that our host, Lopaka, was mentored by Hawai’i’s most beloved storyteller, the late, great Glen Grant. When Grant was alive, I took all of his tours (and I mean ALL of them) and I have read all of his books, so I am very familiar with the ghost stories. As a former teacher and 25 year resident of Hawai’i, I also know much of the Hawaiian history covered in Lopaka’s tour. What was refreshing, however, was that Lopaka told tales and histories that I haven’t heard before like the grave of the little Hawaiian boy, Peter, behind Kawaihao church and the small pox mass burial site just a few steps over from there. Lopaka’s stories aren’t terrifying, but then again, I’m not easily frightened. Don’t go on this tour expecting your hair to turn white. Do go on this tour to learn about the paranormal history and culture of Hawai’i. Like Grant, Lopaka infuses his stories with reverence for the souls who’ve long since passed, and in doing so, inspires us to reflect on our own mortality with a renewed sense of purpose to live our lives to the fullest while we can. Look out for great deals for the tours on Living Social and Groupon, and be ready to communicate with Lopaka and his crew through FB private message instead of by phone if you need more information. His FB page is Mysteries of Honolulu.

This past weekend I attended the Yurei 13 Ghost Walking tour. It was fantastic! I haven’t been on one of these in a long while, but it was a fun as I remember. Lopaka gives a wonderful mix of history, personal experience and theatrics in his story telling. He makes discovering the story behind each area we visited fun and terrifying at the same time! I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to learn, have fun and get in a few chills at the same time!

Went for hubs bday. Was just the two of us and Lopaka was so informative and warm and friendly. He is a wealth of knowledge and culture and we just really enjoyed the entire tour. We did the downtown walking tour after dinner and it was so interesting. We wanna do the other ones now esp the waianae one bc Lopaka said that one is really super haunted. Honestly I don’t get into the ghost stuff as much but I loved that it was a historical tour with a spooky twist from a knowledgeable guide.
I bought the tix offa his website and it was so easy. 40 per person and well worth it. Better to share a fun experience with the hub for his bday rather than buy him some crap he won’t use.

Love these tours. Lopaka weaves history and folklore into an impressive tour that’s sure to give you chicken skin.

ALL ghost tours are just pretenders compared to Lokapa’s Mysteries of Honolulu tours. I have ALWAYS been impressed and awed at EVERY tour I’ve taken with Lopaka. I have gone on three tours and heard him speak multiple times. It was always a fun filled, and yet terrifying, night. I love stories and the history about places. I’ve done multiple ghost tours around the country and most ghost tours you have a short story then you just take tons of pics and look for ghosts or orbs in your pictures. Nobody knows the history and stories like Lopaka. He connects Hawaiian history to the phenomenal events that happen in certain areas. The bonus is taking pictures with spooky stuff showing up and they always do. I’m usually freaked out by his stories before we even arrive at our destination and I sometimes don’t want to enter the area he took us to. What is even cooler is that Lopaka is a lifelong learner which means he is always seeking knowledge. His stories have changed and gotten more complex as the years have gone by which makes old stories seem like new. I even spend time swapping stories with him after his tours. In fact, he once put me on the spot to tell stories to the tour group about a certain place. I found that to be truly an honor from the Master of Ghost Tales. I know that the great Glenn Grant was Lopaka’s teacher. Well I know that Glenn Grant is looking down at (and according to one story, sometimes «following») Lopaka and is VERY happy that his protégé is carrying on his legacy and creating his own legacy in Mysteries on Honolulu. Yes, it will cost a little more than the pretender ghost tours, but believe me, Lopaka is THE best of the best! Highly recommended!

I have been on many ghost tours and in my opinion, Lopaka’s tours are the best on the island. He conducts them with the utmost respect for the ‘Aina and our ancestors. He is an excellent storyteller and knows all of the history and haunted places on our islands. If you are a skeptic, be prepared, you may come back a believer. He also conducts private tours. These tours are «a must «on your to do list, if you are interested in ghosts, the paranormal, our Islands haunted history, or even if you are a skeptic. I really enjoy all of Lopaka’s tours!

FACEBOOK PAGE:
His website is currently undergoing renovations, so his Facebook page is THE BEST WAY to contact him, find out about new and upcoming tours, and read some of his compelling and captivating tales of the supernatural. Not only is he a master storyteller, but he is a fantastic writer, too.
3 YEARS ROLL BY …
My then-​boyfriend is now my fiancé, we’ve been on another 2 – 3 of his tours, and still enjoy it 7 years after we took our first one.

I grew up reading all of Glen Grant’s chickenskin books about Hawaii ghost stories, which only echoed the stories told by my mom and my grandpa. I have the fondest (and most frightening) memories of sitting at their feet desperately grasping a stuffed animal for comfort listening intently to the tales. When I grew older, we were always too busy or too broke to attend one of Glen Grant’s popular and packed tours.
When my mom decided to visit her home State of Hawaii, I decided to set up a surprise for her. I found Mysteries of Honolulu on Unilocal and did some research on-​line and on their website. I appreciated the love and respect that Lokapa Kapanui held for Glen Grant and how he continued the work with all the dedication to the culture and history of Hawaii. I contacted Lopaka personally and spoke to him about my mom and the gift I wanted to give her.
Lopaka was generous enough to arrange for a personal guided tour with my mom. I appreciate his attention to detail and knowledge of the land and people. He also was very patient and kind with my mom as she shared many personal stories growing up in Hawaii and encountering many spirits and forces. She shared wonderful stories of her parents and grandparents and their encounters with the supernatural forces in Hawaii as well. It brought me right back to my keiki memories.
I felt so honored to share in this wonderful experience. As we walked the streets late at night and explored different sacred areas, I truly felt strong forces surrounding us. It was spooky at times, but not frightening as I felt the forces were kind and welcoming. It was a powerful experience. I think this is one of those things that you have to either believe in spirits or ghosts or at least be open to the experience to truly enjoy it. Knowing that so many generations of my family are deeply rooted in Hawaii, it all just helped me feel more connected not only to my mom but to my ancestors. Yes, there were some strange and inexplicable occurrences that evening but I am going to let my mom tell those stories.

I took this tour a few years back with Lopaka with my husband and another couple around Halloween. It was informative more than anything else. He was easy to understand and was thorough when explaining each site. The tour was long and well worth the money.
I’ve got to say that the creepiest was at Morgan’s corner and the Chinese cemetery. What was funny was, when we walked towards the burnt tree (that we didn’t know was burnt until way later), I smelled burning wood. I told my friend, «Don’t you smell that? It smells like someone just struck a match and blew it out? Is someone smoking?»
Lopaka continued with his story and then flashed his light up into the tree. I got major chicken skin. As we were leaving I got a blast of floral scents, like fresh flowers. THEN, Lopaka talks about the lady that cruises around in that cemetary and wore floral perfume (or something like that). OOH WEEE OOOOH! At that point, I just wanted to get back on the bus.
The dark walk up to the tree on Morgan’s corner was spooky yet fun.
We really enjoyed his tour and would love to do it again sometime!

What I like the most is many of Lopaka’s stories are researched and supported and he worked under Glen Grant. If you love history, mystery, and hanging on the fringe of the living and the dead, then take this tour. It’ll definitely keep you looking over your shoulders. I had a great talk story time with him and definitely witnessed things I would question about what we see versus what we feel and what is there. I believe in ghost. On what kind depends on the tour and the trip. I recommend the awe and mystery of the Wailua tour. If anything I walk away with a good lesson of respect for the dead and the unknown.