The Kaimuki House

There are several stories that are recorded about events that unfolded at this Kaimuki house.  At least a couple of them were documented by police reports, which give them added credibility over many other paranormal activities.  Although the actual house has not been revealed out of respect for the privacy of the current owners, there was a case of mistaken identity which caused one home in the area to remain unsold for many years because people “thought” that it was the affected house.

As the stories go, one couple was attacked by unseen forces and it made enough noise that neighbors called the police to report a domestic disturbance.  When the police arrived, the couple could only say that they were attacked and thrown about the house by something that they could not see!    Another story credited to this house is that a man had murdered his wife, son, and daughter.  The bodies of his wife and son were found buried in the backyard, but the body of his daughter has never been found.  And, there was also a case involving a lesbian couple.  One of the women had an affair with a man and when the man found out about her lover, he got enraged and killed both of the women, before killing himself in this particular Kaimuki residence.

The best accounting of these and other events that occurred at this location can be found at realhaunts.com.

Night Marchers

Night Marchers are said to roam through very specific locations on the islands, between seashore and mountains and are often recognized by their raised torches and repeated olis, or chants.  Although there have been a few scattered reports of daytime marches, these apparitions appear to be most active at night and are said to march on certain nights designated by the moon.

There doesn’t seem to be a real consensus on what phase of the moon, as I have read the 14th, 27th, and 28th night after a new moon, but then read it is on moonless nights, as well.  The 14th night after a new moon is very close to a full-moon.  Those who are in the know about such things can tell you what night’s the marchers will be on the move, but are not likely to share such information with you.

What to do if you happen upon a night march in progress?  The ghostly procession must never be interrupted. Legend has it that resting your eyes upon the Night Marchers could signal a grim fate for the perpetrator, a friend or relative, so witnesses are urged to crouch low to the ground, “play dead” and avert the eyes.  Any sound or movement could invite a Night Marcher’s deadly glance.

Many Hawaiians say that in the presence of night marchers, you should lie down on your stomach, keep your face down with your eyes averted so as not to make eye-contact, stay quiet, breathe shallowly, and don’t move.  Some say that they may nudge you to provoke a reaction so they can take you.  Simply put, it is best if you simply get out of the way and hide until they have completely passed.

Here’s a great website that tells a first-hand accounting of the Night Marchers of Kawaihae on the Big Island.

More stories…

The 16th Avenue bridge in Kaimuki: Six years ago, a little girl was killed in a hit-and-run on this bridge. Residents say her spirit still haunts the area, asking pedestrians for help home, only to disappear at the end of the bridge.

Kipapa Gulch in Mililani: This was the site of a major battle in Hawaiian history. The bridge that spans the ravine has been the site of numerous head-on accidents. The gulch is also supposedly on the path of the night marchers, who proceed with torches from the mountains to the ocean. Residents and those who work in the area have reported seeing lights move down the mountainside and into the gulch and hearing the sounds of people crying under the bridge.

Oahu Community Correctional Center, 2199 Kamehameha Highway in Kalihi: This 950-bed jail is on the site of the former Oahu Prison. The gallows, where 47 men were hanged from 1909 to 1944, was converted into an office. Guards say they have difficulty sleeping in the squad room, which is located next to the execution chamber. And prisoners have reported hearing cell doors rattle.

This site lists a number of places and stories told of strange happenings over the years…www.carpenoctem.tv/haunt/hi/

You will find many haunted locations on Oahu at this site…www.to-hawaii.com/haunted-hawaii/oahu.php

For more locations around the islands can be found here…www.shadowlands.net/places/hawaii.htm

try www.yourghoststories.com for a collection of over 50 first-hand stories.

And, probably one of the coolest websites focused on haunted Hawaii, although it can be a little slow loading at times…www.hauntedhawaii.net

Ghost Tours of Oahu

Honolulu Ghost Tours, Downtown Honolulu, Roberts Hawaii

The Original Oahu Ghost Tours

Mysteries of Honolulu Tours (see “Obake Hunting in October” post)

I just came across this video of last week’s activity at the Kamoamoa fissure of Hawaii Volcanoe’s National Park. Here’s the link that will take you to the NVNP website and this video. You need  QuickTime to view it, but you can follow the QuickTime link here or download it at the HVNP site, as well.

Video of Kamoamoa fissure

At present, there is no further activity and no lava flowing into the ocean being repoted.

While I don’t endorse doing what this guy did, we do get to benefit from the video he shot of the recent tsunami waves hitting Kailua-Kona.  Previously, I reported that there was extensive damage to hotels and businesses along Ali’i Drive, fronting the bay.

This video shows the water as it passes over the break wall and reaches some of those businesses.

YouTube video of tsunami hitting Kailua-Kona, 3/12/11

The following is an excerpt from a statement issued by Mayor Billy Kenoi of Hawaii County (the Big Island), regarding initial damage reports from the tsunami that hit Hawaii Friday morning following the massive 8.9 earthquake in Japan, last Thursday.

“County Police, Fire, Public Works and Environmental Management crews worked with State Highways, the American Red Cross and the county Office of Housing and Community Development to conduct preliminary damage assessments in the County of Hawai‘i today. Their findings include the following reports:

• Seven homes suffered extensive damage on Manini Beach Road near Kealakekua Bay. Power lines also were downed in the area.
• One two-story home at Kealakekua Bay was reported completely washed away, and a number of vehicles in the area were damaged.
• King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel on Ali‘i Drive suffered extensive water damage to its ground floor, and observers reported possible damage to the Ahu‘ena Heiau on the hotel grounds. Shops across Ali‘i Drive from King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel also suffered extensive damage.
• Large amounts of asphalt, concrete and other debris were thrown onto Ali‘i Drive near the hotel and near the breakwall at the edge of Ali‘i Drive. About a half-mile of Ali‘i Drive remains closed, from the King Kamehameha Hotel to Hualalai Road.Crews are at work cleaning up debris, and Alii Drive is expected to reopen later this afternoon.
• Large amounts of debris were also deposited on Kailua Pier, and two vehicles left parked on the pier were damaged when the tsunami pushed them across the pier.
• A hall at Pu‘uhonua Road suffered severe damage, while the Puu O Honaunau National Historic Park (City of Refuge) also reported flooding.
• There were no sewer spills reported, but the county Department of Environmental Management reported water damage to a sewer pump station near King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.
• Extensive damage was reported to businesses on both sides of Ali‘i Drive, including the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, the ground floor of the Kona Reef Hotel, and the Kona Inn Restaurant.
• The last open county shelter was closed at about noon today after guests who had been evacuated from the King Kamehameha were relocated to a new hotel.
• In Kailua-Kona, crews reported one single-family home was destroyed, and one suffered major damage. Six Kailua apartments or condominiums suffered major damage, and 19 had minor damage.
• The Kona Village Resort had 20 guest units damaged when they were lifted off their foundations. Two restaurants at the resort were flooded.
• The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai reported water damage to utility buildings, pools and damage to a restaurant at the resort.”

From some of the video that I have found, it appears that two areas in particular were hit pretty bad.  Kailua Bay where water washed over the  wall that separates the Bay and Ali’i Drive and where Bubba Gump, mentioned above is located, as well as the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel where it was reported that there was a foot of water in the lobby area of the hotel.

The second area is Kealakekua Bay, where a house was completely washed away, as well as destroying several cars.  For those who may be familiar, Kealakekua Bay is where the Captain Cook Memorial is located, as well as Pu’uhonua o’Honaunau (Place of Refuge) National Historical Park.

While I have not seen any reports from the Park Service, the fact that wave action was strong enough to wash a house out into the Bay tells me that the park had to have sustained damage as well.

Trying to get information on the damage throughout the state has been very difficult.  The initial report filed by the Associated Press said that Hawaii was being “slammed” by a tsunami and grossly over-stated the situation at the time the report was posted.

Later Friday morning, the word was that there was minimal damage except for possibly the Kahului, Maui area and Hilo Bay on the Big Island.  No mention was made of Kailua-Kona, although it appears they caught the worst of it.  No significant damage has been reported out of Hilo.

The good news is that it could have been much worse.

Significant damage to harbor facilities were also reported at Haleiwa on the north shore of Oahu.  Several smaller harbors also suffered considerable damage along the southern coast of Oahu and many small boats that moved out to sea to ride out the tsunami are still out there as they try to figure out where and how to get safely back to shore.

All attention has been focused on the on-going tragedy in Japan and little is being said, even by local news, about the damage in Hawaii.  If you would like to help those in need in Japan, the Red Cross is appealing for you donations at:  http://american.redcross.org/Earthquake

After a world record 8.9 earthquake struck Japan, followed shortly by a devastating tsunami that caused billions of dollars in losses and what I’m sure will be 1000’s of  lives in Japan, Thursday evening (EST), Hawaii braced itself for the arrival of tsunami waves early this morning.  If you want to help, you can make donations to the Red Cross here:  http://american.redcross.org/Earthquake.

The first wave was expected to reach Hawaii around 3:30 AM Hawaiian Standard Time, as mandatory evacuation of affected coastal areas sent residents and visitors alike, scrambling for higher ground.

Officials at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center anticipated wave heights of about 6′ and fortunately, the only two areas that got close to that were Kahului, Maui, where the surge reached 7-8′ and Hilo, Hawaii, where a rise of 5′ was recorded.  Haleiwa, Oahu, also received  a rise in water that covered the parking lot of the marina and did some damage to the harbor.

As word was received that another earthquake of a 6.6 magnitude struck Japan this afternoon, residents of Hawaii are again on the lookout for another series of waves that could possibly reach them later this evening.

I just received word from Priceline that they will continue to offer American Airlines’ flights on their system.  You can earn your AAdvantage frequent flyer miles booking thru them, as well.

For those who have not noticed, American Airlines recently pulled their flight availability from Orbitz and Expedia.  So, when searching for flights on those two systems, you will no longer have AA flights and prices searched.

It is an unfortunate trend as the more airlines pull their availability from various search sites, the less convenient it becomes for travelers to find the best price.  I happen to be a fan of both Orbitz and Expedia.  I should point out that American Airlines flights can also still be found on CheapOAir.com, at least as of this writing.

As airfares continue their trend to higher and higher levels, and there does not seem to be any end in sight for rising oil/fuel costs, it is less and less likely that you will find flights available at 2010 levels.  So, if you’re among those lucky ones who purchased your airline tickets earlier, congratulations!  (I’m jealous.)  For the rest of us, all I can say is that there are still some good deals to be had from the west coast, especially from Hawaiian Airlines.

Back in October of last year, I  commented on the United/Continental Airlines merger and how it might affect the number and cost of seats to Hawaii.  Well, I’m happy to observe that there has at least been one positive addition to come from this merger.

United/Continental has just announced that Continental will begin direct service in and out of Hilo (ITO) to Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO).  This brings direct service in and out of Hilo for the first time in 21 years.

Flights to and from LAX will be offered on a daily basis while flights to and from SFO will be offered once a week.  These new flights are scheduled to begin in June of this year.

This should be a welcome service to Hilo residents who will no longer have to drive to Kona (KOA) for direct service to the mainland or connect through Honolulu (HNL).  It could also be good for Hilo by making Hilo a more easily accessible destination for those interested in visiting the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which is only 30 miles away.

No special introductory rates have been announced, but tickets may be purchased now.  An initial check comes up with a rd-trip, mid-week ticket cost of $676 LAX-ITO.

That’s Merry Christmas for all of you who aren’t as familiar with this Hawaiian greeting as you may be with Aloha!

By now you’ve completed your Christmas shopping and are simply looking forward to getting together with the family, sitting back and enjoying, as the wrapping paper is shredded and boxes torn opened and in mere seconds, days…weeks…months of finding the perfect gift, is over.

These are difficult times that we are struggling to get through, the best way we can.  Hawaii, with its tourist based economy, is especially hard hit by the world economic slow down.  Tourism is down, hotel rooms sit idle, and restaurant revenues are less than they’d like, which means higher unemployment levels throughout the state.

Its a good time to remind ourselves that Christmas is NOT all about the gift giving or receiving.  It is a time to celebrate the Christian beliefs or whatever beliefs in a higher power you may hold.  It is truly a season for giving, but not necessarily in a physical gift.

It is the sharing of the gift of love for one another that no lack of money can take away.  In fact, often the tougher our finances become, the more the power of family, of Ohana, comes through the strongest.

So, with that in mind, I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!

Now, don’t forget to cheer on the University of Hawaii Warriors at tonight’s Sheraton Hawaii Bowl…8:00 PM EST!

Randy