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Cover Story
Spooking Around
We take technology and a spirit medium ghost hunting
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October 25, 2007 I'm sitting on stage at the Iao Theater. I say my name into a recorder, then ask the subject to speak loudly and clearly. After a few moments, I start to feel a little silly.
This is what happens when you try to interview a ghost.
According to avid "ghost hunters" there are ways to record evidence that may prove the existence of spirits trapped between two worlds—the physical world we live in and the ethereal world where many believe our souls, or energy, goes after we die.
The idea of "recording" the departed is nothing new. In 1920, Thomas Edison said in Scientific American that, "If our personality survives, then it is strictly logical or scientific to assume that it retains memory, intellect, other faculties, and knowledge that we acquire on this Earth. Therefore... if we can evolve an instrument so delicate as to be affected by our personality as it survives in the next life, such an instrument, when made available, ought to record something."
Edison died before he was able to create such a device, but today we live in the digital age. Does today's technology enable us to talk to spirits?
I decided to embark on a Maui ghost hunting adventure—investigating some of the islands "haunted hot spots" with some close friends, a camera and a high frequency digital voice recorder. All the investigations (except the Iao Theater) took place in the presence of Alana Kay, a clairvoyant spirit medium who's done this kind of thing before.
The Iao Theater, Wailuku
Oct. 17, 2007. 9:15 a.m.
Participants: Wendy, myself
There have been many reports over the years that the theater is haunted. People have complained that objects move by themselves and that they have experienced an unexplained "choking feeling," especially backstage.
We interviewed Louis Fernandez III, the theater's current technical director. I mention rumors that the theater is haunted. "Oh yeah," he said. "There's two [ghosts] that I know of for sure. There may be more, but for sure two."
Fernandez said on numerous occasions he's seen a dark black figure walking down the ramp towards the women's restroom. He said others have seen the apparition on the platform area that divides the audience into upper and lower halves.
"I have actually searched the theater thinking that someone was in here with me, but no one was there," he said. "The other ghost is a little more curious. He likes to hang out near the stage." Fernandez said he feels this way because there have been times when a mic on stage that is "off" will suddenly show sound input on the boards.
He added that there are reports of scenery that topples over as though pushed, and the wooden plank that holds the balcony doors closed will sometimes suddenly come out and the doors will fly open. "The scenery was against the wall at an angle where it couldn't just fall back," Fernandez said.
Activity seems to surge late at night after performances. "I think they enjoy the stuff that we do," he said. "They don't bother us and we don't bother them. I think they like it here."
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: No creepy feeling here today, just fascination at Fernandez's nonchalant take on his possibly haunted theater.
| |  | | | |  | | Iao Theater |
PHOTO: Wendy took many pictures and only one appeared to have possible paranormal elements. Hovering near where Fernandez was sitting is what appears to be a "mist," but Wendy later explained as an anomaly caused by a star-filter on the camera.
ELECTRONIC VOICE PHENOMENA (EVP): Nothing that would suggest paranormal activity.
VERDICT: Because of the strong testimony of Fernandez, I believe that the Iao Theater needs further investigation—preferably after a performance when the energy levels of the theater are high.
Kepaniwai Park, Iao Valley
Oct. 18, 2007. 7 p.m.
Participants: Alana, Wendy, Lori, Greg, Kim, myself
Almost everyone has a haunted Iao valley story. Most of the stories are based on the fact that it was once a vicious battle ground, where the body count was so high that the dead clogged the river and the waters ran red with blood.
Our first official "hunt" as a group. None of us knew what to expect. Alana gave us a rundown on ghosts—most importantly teaching us that we have control over how close we want to let them get to us. Upon arriving, we pray as a group before entering the park.
Alana said we should go to the koi pond by the Chinese and Japanese houses where entities are waiting for us. "Wow, there's a lot going on here," she said. "They're all around us." The messages Alana reported receiving were centered around the battles and the sacredness of the space. She said several times that they wanted to know if we could feel how sacred it was. The spirits seemed to be focused on the battles there. According to Alana's messages, to them, they were still going on.
Every now and then, she would report that something large and dark was next to her and that it didn't speak. She described it as being a warrior.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: There were times that I felt very peaceful and times that I felt physically uncomfortable. Most of the time, while Alana was communicating with the spirits I felt as though I was in a pocket, nestled into the valley. I was warm and the trees seemed to loom over and surround us. But whenever Alana would mention the large, dark apparition, I felt something similar to labor contractions, but then again, I can't rule out that it may have just been a reaction to fear. Lori later described the sensation of being in Iao as, "Being under a big wave. It was a real heavy feeling." Greg and Kim later reported feeling nothing and that they didn't believe that Alana was channeling spirits.
PHOTO: One significant photo where no people are there, but it looks like orange swirls of energy are present. Later debunked that the swirls were "tracers" of where people were previously walking.
EVP: I recorded the entire time that we were there, but when I went to review the recording it was gone. Greg and Kim recorded night vision digital video continuously and after reviewing footage saw nothing that suggested paranormal activity.
VERDICT: Iao is a heavy place with a dark history. Haunted? Probably, but if you're looking for hard evidence, we didn't record any.
Waikapu Cemetery, Waikapu
Oct. 18, 2007. 7:40 p.m.
Participants: Alana, Wendy, Lori, Greg, Kim, myself
I haven't heard any first hand stories of the cemetery being haunted, but I lived close by for a few years and always thought it creepy. Waikapu has also been reported to have a high spirit activity by many locals over the years.
| |  | | | | | | Waikapu Cemetery |
The cemetery is on a hill. It appears neglected and is difficult to walk on—lots of stones and the ground is sandy and uneven. At the very top of the hill is a large headstone. Alana reported earthbound spirits that are unhappy to be buried on Maui and want to "go home." She reported that she helped them "cross over." Lower on the hill there are two headstones next to each other. Alana reads that these are likely children's graves and the feeling she got from them is not that their spirits are still here but that the area is imprinted with the pain of a child dying.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
Immediately upon stepping onto the hill, I felt a weird buzzing sensation throughout my body. "Chicken skin" may be one way to describe it, but it was more vibrational. I walked to the top of the hill towards the large headstone directly behind Alana. When she got to the top she stopped and I took one final step forward. I was hit with this intense "jolt" where the feeling I was experiencing magnified. I immediately turned around and headed back down the hill. She told me that everything was okay, so I rejoined her, Wendy and Lori by the grave. But the buzzing feeling continued until she helped them cross over. Wendy later reported that she felt a weird sensation on top of the hill that seemed to intensify the closer she got to Alana.
When we headed down the hill, I saw two particular graves and immediately thought, "Oh no, kids." I suddenly felt very sad and tears filled my eyes. At that moment Wendy reported feeling "sadness"? and Alana went on to say that she thought they were children.
PHOTO: Nothing that would suggest paranormal activity
EVP: I recorded the entire time that we were there, but when I went to review the recording it was gone.
VERDICT: The intense feelings and corresponding experiences of Alana, Wendy and I suggests that paranormal activity is present, but we didn't collect any physical evidence. Lori reported stomach cramping. Greg and Kim reported feeling nothing out of the ordinary.
Cemetery across St. Anthony School, Wailuku
Oct. 18, 2007. 8:30 p.m.
Participants: Alana, Wendy, Lori, myself
I had an intense fear of this cemetery as a child. Every time that we would drive by it, I would close my eyes, duck my head and try to hold my breath until we past.
The majority of graves belong to Japanese. Soon after we walk up the stairway, Alana walks up to a grave and said, "Oh my!" She communicated with the spirit and then turned around and said, "That one just went to the light." We continued to walk around the graveyard looking for activity. She described the process as similar to playing "hot and cold" when you're a kid. She also explained that most ghosts aren't out to scare you, but are just trying to communicate. "When someone comes up to hug you, you can see them and feel them," she said. "When a ghost comes up to you, it's different because it's disembodied, but it's still just coming."
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: As soon as we walked up the stairway to the cemetery I felt intense buzzing in my body. It was like standing in a river and feeling the water rush past you. Wendy stopped and said, "It feels like there's a lot here." After Alana reportedly sent the spirit to the light, we separated. Wendy walked toward the top of the hill and I walked around with Lori. I said that the feeling was no longer intense and it felt like not much was going on. Then Wendy walked back down and said that near the top of the hill on the outskirts of the cemetery she felt "fear. Not really mine, but just fear."
PHOTO: Nothing that would suggest paranormal activity
EVP: Around seven minutes into the recording it sounded like someone leaned toward the mic and loudly whispered "Hide." (Check out a sound clip of the recording at the top of this page: "What We Heard")
VERDICT: The evidence strongly suggests paranormal activity.
Old Maui High School
Oct. 21, 2007. 5:50 p.m.
Participants: Alana, Wendy, myself
Several reports that this location is haunted. People have claimed to experience "choking ghosts" and the feeling of being crushed.
We arrived on site as the sun was setting. None of us felt anything significant. Alana did not report being contacted by any disembodied sprits. Alana explained that often thought patterns can "imprint" a location and can cause spiritual activity. Since old Maui High suffered fire and abandonment, the negative thought patterns could have drawn things there that have since moved on.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: To me it felt "clean" and I didn't feel anything weird. Wendy later reported that to her it almost felt "too sterile."
PHOTO: Nothing that would suggest paranormal activity.
EVP: Nothing that would suggest paranormal activity.
VERDICT: Location does not seem haunted.
Graveyard across Paia Community Center, Paia
Oct. 21, 2007. 6:15 p.m.
Participants: Alana, Wendy, myself
This is the Buddhist graveyard where my family would participate in the annual bon dance. As a young child, it always frightened me, especially hearing the gong that supposedly summoned the dead. Because it's located near the ocean, erosion has caused some of the graves to fall onto the beach below.
Alana reported "feeling it" in her legs near a large group of headstones that are packed together. She said that there seemed be a level of love and care here that wasn't present at the other grave sites we visited. No major activity was noted. The site felt tranquil while we were there.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I did not initially feel anything out of the ordinary. But as I walked through taking pictures, I noticed a group of headstones packed together. It looked like a collection of headstones that possibly fell from the cliff or have otherwise been removed from their original location. I felt a slight buzz, but nothing major. I photographed the area.
| |  | | | | | | Buddhist graveyard |
PHOTO: Three photos suggest paranormal activity. I took several pictures that night but the three questionable ones were near the above "hot spots" (the collection of headstones and the cliff area.) The photo of the headstones includes an orange flare and what appears to be white mist coming from two stones. The photo of the cliff wall appears to contain two orbs. The one of the area where the graves have fallen contains an unexplained isolated orange haze.
EVP: Nothing that would suggest paranormal activity
VERDICT: Additional research should be done on the photographs, but if they can't be debunked I'd say that the spirits are alive and well. MTW
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