The Legend Of Hawaii's Abandoned Haunted High School

If you spend enough time around the locals in Maui, you’re bound to encounter some fantastic ghost stories, like the eerie tales of nightmarchers.

One of the most popular on the island, focused around the old high school near Paia town, tells the tale of students and teachers from long ago who continue to return in order to reclaim the area.

Old Maui High

In the rural area of Hamakuapoko, there is a picturesque skeleton of a building. It sits lonely, desperately fighting back against the nature around trying to reclaim the land. When the first missionaries and sugarcane plantation owners arrived in Maui, they wanted to create a center of education for their children in this remote area.

They built Old Maui High in 1913 and opened doors of opportunity to the youth in the area. After the school relocated in 1972, the building slowly fell into disrepair and was thereafter abandoned. Today, some of the building’s features, like the pillars and walls, have stood the test of time, while others, like the library being occupied by a banyan tree, have succumbed to the power of nature.

Main entrance façade, ruins of Old Maui High School, constructed in 1921

Haunted Mayhem

In Hawaii, though, it is believed that spirits who have passed on will always come back to areas that they knew in their previous lives. As regards Old Maui High, locals will tell you this is true. The students and administration of the school are said to still roam the grounds, occasionally interacting with the living.

With rumors of ghosts who choke people setting foot on the land, to the sounds of a crying girl inside what used to be the school’s bathroom, stories of the old high school grounds still manage to make their rounds within the community.

With its structure barely intact, Old Maui High’s shadowed corners have become the perfect setting for tales of spirits and haunting experiences, so much so that events like Haunted Mayhem have made the location a perfect place to spend a Halloween evening.

There are still reports of spooky goings on at the old high school grounds

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.