The Spirits of Kaupoa Beach on the Haunted Moloka‘i Island

A Deserted Resort with a Dark Reputation

What makes Kaupoa Beach particularly unsettling is the vacant ghost town that sits near its shore. The island’s agrarian economy has been driven primarily by cattle ranching, pineapple production, sugarcane production and small-scale farming. Tourism comprises a small fraction of the island’s economy and most of it was owned by Molokai Ranch, owned by a billionaire investment firm called Guoco Group in Hong Kong. When they closed down in the early 2000s, so did tourism.

Once a resort though, promising an escape into paradise, the resort abruptly closed, its buildings left to decay beneath salt and sun. The reasons for its downfall remain cloaked in rumor. Some blame financial misfortune or the local population who fought for decades to stop the development of the ranch and preserve their way of living, sometimes ending in violence, poison or arson. Others whisper of a powerful kapu, or ancient curse, tied to the land.

Located on the west shore of Molokai, Kaupoa Beach is made up of two beaches shaped like crescent moons where the Molokai Ranch and the Sheraton Hotels ran for years. Now it’s abandoned, and the tentalows, or the bungalows made of canvas tents are left to be reclaimed by nature.

According to rumour, the now-abandoned beach camp, which also sits close to many hidden archaeological sites, was once an ancient hideout for criminals who had violated the tribal kapu system and were facing death. There have also been found burial grounds within the campsite. Could this be attributed to the haunting?

Rascal Spirits on the Island

Local elders tell of how the kukui trees, a type of palm trees that used to grow by the Molokai Ranch resort by Kaupoa Beach for shade. Once thought to ward off mischievous and malevolent spirits called kalohe or rascal spirits. The trees were not native to the land, and were felled when Molokai Ranch closed down for insurance reasons so that people passing wouldn’t get a coconut in their head. With the trees gone, it’s believed that protective energies vanished and the rascal spirits got it. Some locals saw it as an ancient Polynesian declaration of war, leaving the land open for restless spirits to claim as their own.

**Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement:** Many believe the whole island of Molokai is haunted, and natives have stayed away from the island for multiple reasons. When The Hawaiian Board of Health established a leper colony there in 1886 , it did nothing to help Molokai’s fearsome reputation. Why does the island have such an unfortunate reputation? Some trace it back to a Polynesian war where Molokai used psychological warfare of ghost stories, curses and magic to keep the invaders at bay. Perhaps this is still helping keep the island for the natives to this day?

To counter the spirits the locals thought that the ancestral spirits would love to hear the sound of children playing on the island again. Because of this, they built an entire playground with swings, a jungle gym and a slide. But there are no children to play there, and the only one making the swings screech are the wind and spirits roaming this part of the island.

Ghostly Footsteps in the Sand

Visitors and locals alike speak in hushed tones about the Night Marchers, known in Hawaiian as Huaka‘i Pō — spectral processions of ancient Hawaiian warriors, clad in traditional battle garb, carrying torches, and moving silently through the night. Legend holds that these spirits roam sacred pathways across the islands, reliving the moments of their former lives.

Read More: Check out more info about the Hawaiian Night Marchers

Those who encounter the Night Marchers are gripped by overwhelming dread, often paralyzed by unseen forces. According to lore, to avoid a terrible fate, one must show proper reverence: lie face down on the ground and never meet their gaze. Disrespect can mean death, or having your spirit ripped from your body, forever joining their phantom ranks.

At Kaupoa Beach, the eerie calm is sometimes pierced by the sound of distant drums and chanting, carrying over the waves when no one else is near. Torch-like lights have been seen flickering across the cliffs, and the ghostly figures of warriors have reportedly marched silently across the deserted beach — their footprints vanishing in the moonlit sand.

Newest Posts

The Tragic Ghost of the Maid Haunting Visnes Hotel23. April 2026
A maid who once worked at the hotel allegedly took her own life at the old Visnes Hotel, deep in the Norwegian fjords. Now it is said she is lingering in the afterlife in the old rooms she once worked in.
The Black Church: Where the Devil Waits in Dublin22. April 2026
A church with the sinister name The Black Church in Dublin has a legend that claims if you follow the ritual, you will be able to summon the devil.
The Nordic Grave Dwelling Haugbúi Draugr (ᛏᚱᛅᚢᚴᛦ)20. April 2026
An ancient ghost coming from the depths of graves across the nordic countries, the Haugbúi Draugr could be both dangerous and even deadly. Not merely a specter, but the rotten flesh of the dead, the ghosts are remembered as The Walking Dead of the North.
The Haunting of Hendrick Street: Dublin’s Most Cursed Corner17. April 2026
In the dark Hendrick Street in Dublin, there once were two houses said to be some of the most haunted ones in town. Occupied by at least six ghosts, some say they still linger in their old street.
The Richmond Vampire and its Mausoleum in Hollywood Cemetery16. April 2026
In the pre civil war Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, the mausoleum of W.W Pool is said to be the grave of The Richmond Vampire. A more recent urban legend is now also connected with The Church Hill Tunnel collapse.
The Headless Ghosts Haunting Dublin Castle15. April 2026
Said to be haunted by headless prisoners who tried to capture Dublin Castle, this storied building has shadows lingering in the corners.
Most Haunted Places in Bern, Switzerland14. April 2026
Old cities carry old ghost stories, and Bern in Switzerland is no exception. From the old buildings filled with history to the depth of the Aare river, here are some of the most haunted places in Bern.
Serbia’s Vampire Town Kisiljevo and the Undead Ruža Vlajna13. April 2026
Centuries after the vampire panic starting with the death of Petar Blagojević, another vampire was said to haunt the Serbian village, Kisiljevo. Who was Ruža Vlajna and what happened to her?
The Haunted Fields of Croppie’s Acre: Dublin’s Restless Rebellion Ground10. April 2026
Said to be the mass burial place for the dead Irish Independence rebels from 1798, the Croppie’s Acre in Dublin is said to be haunted by their lingering souls.
The Vanished Valley: The Fairies of Val Gerina9. April 2026
Once a green paradise, the legend says the fairies protected the people of Val Gerina valley in the Swiss alps. Driven by greed to impress a woman however, the son meant to continue the tradition and friendship with the fairies, brought it all down.
Trinity College: The Ghostly Scholars Who Never Left8. April 2026
Haunted by its former Fellows, Trinity College in Dublin is said to be filled with eerie spirits where even the bell tolls after dark when the shadows take over campus.
The Queen of Wildegg Castle and the Grave of Marie Louise St. Simon-Montleart in the Forest7. April 2026
A true story morphed into a fairytale, the life and death of the French Countess Marie Louise St. Simon-Montleart has become the stuff of legends. Buried in the forest close to Wildegg Castle in Switzerland, it is said she is haunting the castle and the forest, her sanctuary.