Haunted Shadows of Punalu‘u
Haunted Shadows of Punalu‘u
Possession, Ghosts, and Unfinished Business
Punaluʻu. It’s everything you’d imagine paradise to be, but beneath the postcard perfection lies something else. A name that means “Spring Dived For” hints at hidden depths. And in this quiet corner of Hawaiʻi Island, stories have emerged that remind us: paradise has a darker side.
The Possession of Kaʻanaʻana - 1896
It began with a death. A local woman of Chinese-Hawaiian ancestry, died under mysterious circumstances—rumors swirled that she had fallen victim to a powerful kahuna. Her friend, Kaʻanaʻana, rushed to her home to help prepare the body for burial. But what happened next terrified everyone present.
As soon as Kaʻanaʻana arrived, her behavior turned bizarre. She began dancing wildly, waving her arms overhead, her eyes bulging and her hands contorting as if seized by something beyond her control. Witnesses said her face contorted in pain as if she were suffering deeply, her mind not her own.
Kaʻanaʻana claimed she had been possessed by her deceased friend’s spirit, one who was furious about the way she died and demanded justice. The haunting followed her home. Her Chinese husband, desperate to help, lit massive firecrackers outside their home in an attempt to chase away the spirit. But the convulsions continued.
Then came an unlikely intervention.
Two American men visiting Punaluʻu decided to impersonate physicians. They visited Kaʻanaʻana’s home and, in a strange twist of spiritual psychology, asked her if she loved the baby in her arms.
When she said yes, one of the men declared, “Then the devil will have nothing to do with you. You are free.”
He tapped her forehead and said a few nonsense words before leaving. And just like that—whether by trickery, belief, or something beyond—Kaʻanaʻana’s fits stopped. She returned to her normal self, as if the spirit had finally let go.
The Ghost at the Luʻau - 1904
On New Year’s Eve, 1904, Mr. J.K. Kekaula hosted a grand luʻau in Punaluʻu. The food was abundant, the mood celebratory. Locals from across the area gathered to ring in the new year with music, dancing, and laughter. But their joy was about to be cut short.
As the night wore on, the ghost of Stephen Kunuiakea appeared at the table.
Kunuiakea had died suddenly months earlier in that very home. Though his friends had laid him to rest in a Christian ceremony, it seemed his spirit was far from at peace. A hula dancer was the first to see him. Then the singers. One by one, those who had known him in life recognized him—pale, silent, seated among the living.
The celebration shattered. Screams replaced chants. Dancers fled. Every guest bolted from the house, running into the night. Even Mr. Kekaula abandoned his home and refused to return.
The haunting didn’t end there.
A week later, a group gathered for a beachside feast. Once again, Kunuiakea’s ghost appeared. Panic gripped the crowd, and they rushed into the ocean, believing the water would protect them. They swam to anchored fishing boats and stayed there until dawn.
Rumors began to spread. Some said Kunuiakea was angry—buried in the ground rather than in a sacred cave like his ancestors. Perhaps, they whispered, he wouldn’t rest until his burial followed the old ways.
Punaluʻu may look like a postcard from heaven, but the stories echoing through its black sands tell a different tale—of spirits wronged, of rituals unfulfilled, and of a paradise that remembers its dead. So if you visit, pause for a moment. Listen. You just might hear what lingers beneath the waves.
Explore the Legends of Haunted Hawaii
Punaluʻu is just one shadowy corner in the rich tapestry of haunted Hawaiʻi, where ancient spirits, restless ghosts, and powerful forces like Pele still stir. From tales of possession to ghostly apparitions demanding ancient rites, these stories remind us that Hawaiian history is very much alive. While our Honolulu ghost tours take place on Oʻahu, they dive deep into the Hawaiian legends that connect all the islands—stories of night marchers, haunted landmarks, and the most haunted places in Honolulu.
Join us on a Honolulu ghost tour and experience the side of paradise most visitors never see.
Uncover the real stories behind the most haunted places in Hawaiʻi.