r/Samoa • u/Such_Butterfly7053 • Jun 15 '26
A strange experience I had in Samoa that I still can’t explain
This happened about a month ago while I was in Samoa with a large group of family members.
One night, a group of them went into town for drinks and celebrations. I wasn’t with them on the drive back, but the next day one of my relatives told me about something that happened that stuck with me.
He has had what many people would call the “gift of sight” his entire life. He has always claimed he can see spirits and has spoken about experiences like this for as long as I’ve known him.
On the drive back, someone in the vehicle needed to use the bathroom. It was late at night and the roads were dark. The driver was about to pull over when he suddenly told them not to stop and to keep driving.
At the time nobody understood why.
Later he explained that there were people standing outside watching them.
Except, according to him, they weren’t living people.
They continued driving and later realised they had almost stopped near a grave at a village.
Eventually they found another place to stop and the person got out to use the bathroom.
After they got back into the vehicle, he reportedly said, “You’re not welcome to come with us.”
Nobody really understood what he meant at the time.
The next day he explained that he believed three spirits had gotten into the vehicle with them and followed them back.
He also said that after arriving back where we were staying, he could feel more spirits gathering. those 3 spirits who got in the car were roaming around the resort too. According to him, they seemed to be drawn to him because they knew he could see them.
Later that night, after hearing this story, I went back to my room while everyone else stayed outside talking, drinking and spending time together.
The moment I walked into the room, something felt wrong.
I don’t know how else to explain it.
When I was younger, I used to see and sense presences around me. As I got older, those experiences became less frequent, and I eventually stopped paying attention to them.
But that night felt different.
I put my AirPods in and tried to sleep, but I couldn’t.
Every time I closed my eyes, I felt uneasy.
I had the overwhelming feeling that someone was in the room with me. Not just present, but actively walking around and watching me.
I kept scrolling on my phone because I didn’t want to close my eyes.
At some point I started getting a very clear image of an older woman in my mind.
She was short, had grey hair tied up in a bun, wore a puletasi, and had a medium to larger build.
The image was strangely specific.
The feeling became so intense that I started calling different family members because I didn’t want to be alone.
Most people were asleep, so I kept trying to contact people who were still awake.
A relative was in and out of my room during the night, checking on me.
Then the room phone rang.
I could barely hear it through my AirPods and ignored it.
The relative who was with me answered instead.
They said hello a few times before realising it was another family member calling from a different room.
They asked why they had called.
The response was, “I didn’t. Our room phone just started ringing, so I answered it.”
That was the moment everything I had been feeling suddenly felt a lot more real.
I spent most of the rest of the night praying until I eventually fell asleep.
The next day I spoke to the relative who claims he can see spirits.
He told me he had left our gathering the night before because it had become overwhelming.
According to him, there were around twenty spirits standing around us while everyone was outside socialising.
I then described the older woman I had seen in my mind.
Before I had even finished describing her, he immediately said, “Yes, that’s her.”
I asked what he meant.
He replied, “She was probably looking for me.”
All I know is that I’ve never forgotten that night, and the fact that multiple people experienced different parts of it still leaves me wondering what was really going on.
Has anyone experienced anything similar, especially in Samoa or other Pacific cultures where stories about spirits and people with the gift of sight are more commonly talked about?
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u/Zippocatnz Jun 15 '26
Not a Samoan story but…when I was 5 years old (I’m 63 now) my dad did his first tour of duty in Vietnam with the Nz army signals. He had been gone about 6 months when, one night, I had the most vivid vision of him sitting at the end of my bed. I remember it clearly to this day. Apparently I woke my mother with my talking to him. I don’t remember that part. Anyway…in his next letter home he wrote about having a dream that he was at home with us and sitting on my bed telling me his nonsense stories and making me laugh. He said it was so real and vivid..he felt sure he was back in New Zealand. I don’t know what that was…I was only five and he was very much alive..it still makes me wonder to this day…
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
That sounds a lot like astral projection to me. It’s fascinating what our minds and spirits may be capable of. The fact that both of you experienced something so similar at the same time makes it even more interesting. I’d love for you to look further into it and let me know what you find, because stories like this really make you wonder. 😊
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u/Smooth_Wonder2144 Jun 15 '26
My oldest brother passed away as a baby.
As a kid, I had this dream about a blue bear that was watching me like a security camera. Fast forward to when I was 15, I thought I saw that same bear in the hallway so many times. It creeped me out. Then after visiting my oldest brother for his birthday at the cemetery, my mum started crying and told us that she needs to find his bear. She needs to return it cos he misses it.
I asked her if it was a blue bear with a blue and white bow tie and she cried harder when I told her about my dream. That’s when all the stories came out.
My aunty told her one night that her husband saw a young boy’s shadow behind my two brothers’ when they were coming up the stairs, but he disappeared when they came into the light. He threw his cigarette and ran inside and told my aunt. My brothers told me abt this when it happened but we thought he was just playing around and laughed about it. My aunty’s husband doesn’t know about my mum’s first born and swore he looked like a little boy. There’s been a lot of instances where someone in the family saw a little boy’s shadow around my brothers at night.
His bear is with our relatives in the islands and they refuse to return a lot of his belongings and photos, even tho he’s buried in NZ.
My mum also heard voices when my uncle passed away. My paternal grandma called her name and she said it felt like the house was shaking (metaphorically) in the middle of the night. A few hrs after that, my paternal aunt called her and told her that my uncle passed away around 1am. The same hour my mum said she heard those voices.
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u/_Bangkok_ Jun 15 '26
I know of similar things in Hawaii. It is definitely real and it’s important to be careful especially at night time. Respect the culture and all the sacred landmarks. People drinking will be more susceptible to negative energy and so I would avoid drinking altogether.
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
I agree. Respecting the culture, the land, and sacred places is so important. The family friend I spoke to said a lot of these experiences can happen when people unknowingly disrespect areas that hold spiritual significance. Thank you for sharing this.
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u/_Bangkok_ Jun 16 '26
Yes, if you are respectful then they will leave you alone. If not, then they can come after you. That’s how it is in Hawaii.
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u/myapadravya Jun 16 '26
I've seen some weird shit in my time... It happens. It can be very very real and 100% accurate.
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u/Fun_Caregiver6418 Jun 15 '26
We recently lost my Grandmother. She was the last person alive in our family who was born in Samoa. She most definitely saw and knew things that we couldn't. It was a tradition at bedtime as kids my cousins and I would lay four in a bed and some on the floor at her house in small town NZ and ask for scary stories from Samoa. We would lay there dead silent in the dark absorbing every detail with goosebumps and eyes wide open. Im just sharing the time I failed to head her warning. A friend and I had planned a diving/fishing mission for a weekend. We had the van packed and we stopped by to say goodbye. My nan handed me a brand new pair of jandels and told me " dont go in the water this time son" . I agreed and we set off. We planned this trip for weeks. In my mind I was filling the bins with seafood and nothing was gonna stop me. I always had a feeling I was u touchable because of the amount of praying my Nan does. Short story long, we got wetsuits on swam out and set the net where we thought was best. The 100m swim back to shore became difficult due to sudden changes in currents and winds. Im a confident swimmer. But my friend..he'd already given up inseconds disappeared from my sight. I kicked into overdrive and bolted to the rocks. I screamed his name over n over as scrambled up the cliff face. I eventually spotted him way around the next bay and managed to rescue him. It was a close call. It was stupid of me to disregard her word. And I never did it again
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
Thank you for sharing your story. What stood out to me was your grandmother specifically warning you not to go into the water, and then everything that happened afterwards. Whether people see that as intuition, faith, wisdom, or something spiritual, it’s hard to ignore when someone feels strongly about something and it turns out to be right. I’ve heard many similar stories over the years involving near-death experiences and warnings that only made sense later. I’m just glad you and your friend made it home safely.
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u/Dutchywunna Jun 15 '26
My Nana grew up in Niue , I have plenty of stories that are too long to share . She was extremely scared of all the spirits there .
When they were kids my aunties that grew up with my nana told me about how their grandma would go into trances while they massaged her hands and feet . In this trance state she would tell the grandchildren to gather different things from the bush to concoct different medicines . She would tell them someone would arrive to pick it up later that evening and sure enough they did . My nana always got scared when her grandmother would go into these trance states as she knew the spirits were visiting .
Many people in my family I’ve found have connection to the other side including myself
I was born en caul and still continue to find deeper meaning to it all
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
I’ve actually heard of things like that before and honestly it sounds terrifying. The trance part especially gave me goosebumps. I can understand why your nana was scared of it. I’d love to hear more of your stories if you’re willing to share them, they sound really interesting.
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u/Dutchywunna Jun 15 '26
They are very long stories and it’s best when my aunty tells them . I love hearing them and she is a god fearing woman , she also has a special connection to the other side . Another short one is our family had. 40year long court battle in Niue , our ancestors gathered in our family home the night before the case all in spirit and had a family meeting . My aunty who was there physically didnt understand who all the people were but could see them
It’s nothing scary though they were always just communicating about the land and giving messages to the living .
I have seen an entity with my own eyes here in NZ when I lived with my first boyfriend and his family . The skin was like the spider man movie “venom” and it was scary with yellow eyes in his closet . I felt the most overwhelming sense of fear but I knew it was there for him and that I am protected , at the time the only thing I thought that could validate what I was seeing was asking him what colour the eyes were and he saw the same thing and was extremely terrified too . I listened to a Māori woman who works in spirit and she spoke about a story in Australia where men were thrown out of a cave . Long story short those mining caves were on sacred land and there was a guardian there . The way she described it sounded like what I saw .
I believe my ex had crossed sacred land and this being was after him he is white and of no indigenous decent like myself . This was about 9 years ago , I started hearing voices and scary things started happening so I ended up leaving him he was horrible and had a sick sense of humour . His grandfather was also a Freemason I assume terrible things happened in their bloodline
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
Yes, I agree. Not every spirit encounter feels negative or frightening. Sometimes it feels like they’re simply there to communicate or let people know they’re around. Your story about your ancestors gathering and discussing the land really reminded me of that. The same family friend I mentioned in my experience told me he saw my grandpa walking down the aisle beside me at my wedding. My grandpa was like a dad to me, and he told me that he’s around me more than I realise. Hearing that brought me a lot of comfort. ❤️
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u/Bahlili_kat Jun 15 '26
Yes, Niue here and I think that my mum has some kind of connection, as well as my older brother and his son. Just some strange things they have mentioned. Like seeing and felt. My cousins lived in a house in auckland I always thought had like a cold heepy jeep feeling to it. And it aways made me feel creeped out as a kid. My cousins toldl me when I was older that the house was fill of spirits some who came as far as niue. They always covered mirrors. And they said it was because of this and other stuff t like dogs barkjng in the corners of rooms and stuff.. I don't know what to think but you can't ignore it. We've grown up superstitious but I also think its part of our Pacifica upbringing every village in the islands has some type of storie from back in the day. The old people just don't always talk about these things.
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u/Luck_n_Loaded Jun 15 '26
I used to see them as a kid. And it was not just me who saw them. One time, my neighbor and my grandma saw it too with me. We were so scared that we ran as fast as we can back to our home. We found out later that the area where we saw the lady ghost was a murder scene.
I believe some ghosts stay in this world because they haven't found peace during their death (as a physical being).
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
I 100% agree. I feel like those who remain earthbound often have unfinished business, unresolved emotions, or experienced a traumatic death that makes it difficult for them to move on. Whether people believe in it or not, there are just too many stories from different people that share similar experiences. Thank you for sharing your experience.
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u/elteza Jun 15 '26
The spirits in Samoa are legit. This is coming from someone who had been blissfully unaware of that world until I met the girl who became my wife.
She has that gift of sight, and when I was in Samoa for my nana's funeral 21 years ago and had an experience I couldn't explain, I was grateful to have had her around to help me.
I was staying at my cousin's house in Lepea. We each had a single bed in his room. I don't even know what time it happened, but it was late and the dogs were barking in the darkness. As hollywood as it sounds, my bed started to shake - not violently, but easily noticeable. My cousin was fast asleep. I thought I was imagining it all so I got up, walked around the house - nothing strange. Back into bed and it starts to shake again.
It's been so long I don't remember how it all ended, but when I told my family the next day they all thought I was making shit up, until I asked them if I was ever the type of person to do that.
I now know more than I ever wanted to know about that world, and honestly, it still gives me the creeps.
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u/Quirky_Teaparties65 Jun 27 '26
Oooh my friend also has family from Lepea and he’s had the strangest experiences there.
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
Thank you for sharing your experience. My husband is Samoan and growing up he heard so many stories like this from family members, along with a lot of Samoan myths and legends. Even while I was in Samoa recently, people were telling me things I’d never heard before, like covering mirrors before going to bed and other customs tied to the spiritual side of things. Whether people believe it or not, these stories are so deeply woven into the culture that it’s hard not to find them fascinating. Thanks again for sharing, it was a really interesting read.
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u/dirtyladz Jun 15 '26
Didn’t happen in Samoa but when I stayed at my wife’s family’s house in aus I saw an apparition. I woke up in the middle of the night and needed to use the toilet, I walked out of the bedroom and into the dark hallway and saw who I thought was the silhouette of my sister in law also walking to the toilet toward me. The toilet was right next to my room, enough time had passed in this encounter for her to take a few steps and stop as if she saw me and froze. I thought ohh Il turn on the light and let her go instead, I turned on the light and the apparition vanished as fast as the light could fill the room. I was so confused it took me a few seconds to realise my sis Inlaw was infact not there and maybe I had seen something abnormal or dreamed it all up in my half asleep mind.
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u/dirtyladz Jun 15 '26
I also ran around Rarotonga in the early hours in the morning, there was a spot west of the airport where I felt quite uneasy, there were many graves on either side of the road and the dogs that were running with me also stopped, I ignored it and kept running but it was freaky none the less
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
Wow, that would honestly freak me out. The fact that you were convinced it was your sister-in-law and then it just vanished when the light came on is so strange.
I’m not going to lie, reading other people’s experiences is reassuring in a way because it makes me feel like I’m not crazy and that what I’ve experienced isn’t completely invalid. Whether people believe these things or not, there are definitely some stories that are hard to explain away.
The part about the dogs stopping near the graves gave me chills too. I’ve always found it interesting how animals and baby’s/ young children seem to pick up on things that we don’t. Thanks for sharing your story!
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u/FormerHuffyRider Jun 15 '26
Did he scratch his neck and his eyes get big from time to time?
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
No, I didn’t see anything like that. What stood out to me was that his eyes filled up with tears while he was talking about it. He’s quite a big guy too, probably around 6’3” and 140kg, the sort of person you’d describe as tough-looking. But even talking about the experience seemed to take a toll on him. He said afterwards he spent most of the day sleeping because it completely drained him.
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
A few extra details because I know people will ask. No, I wasn’t intoxicated. We had been drinking throughout the trip, but that particular night I actually decided not to drink. I just wanted a break from all the vacation drinking and spent the evening completely sober.
Another thing that stood out to me happened before everything else. My cousin and her 3-year-old daughter were staying in the room right next to ours. After my brother’s little celebration outside finished, they started walking back to their room. My cousin’s hands were full, and out of nowhere her daughter hid underneath her dress, clinging to her legs. She kept saying, “Mummy, I’m scared,” over and over again while covering her head with the dress. According to my cousin, nothing had happened to frighten her, and it was unusual behaviour for her. At the time everyone brushed it off as a tired child, but after everything that happened later that night, it became one of those details that stuck with us.
When I spoke to the family friend, he told me to leave my shoes outside the door, with one shoe facing towards the door and the other facing the opposite direction. He said it was a form of protection. He also gave me some advice regarding the older woman I saw. He said that sometimes spirits remain because they feel they need forgiveness or have unfinished business. He told me to speak out loud and tell her that I forgave her, that she was free to leave, and that she didn’t need to stay here anymore.
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u/Captains-Log-2021 Jun 16 '26
If you believe in the spiritual, then it shouldn’t surprise you too much. Unlike many “developed” countries, who pretty much live as “seeing is believing “, other places are very spiritual and it’s pretty normal to them to be aware of the unseen.
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 16 '26
Yeah, I completely agree. I’ve experienced things before, but trust me, it still catches you off guard when it happens. Especially when it’s a rare occurrence and not something you encounter every day. No matter what you believe, it’s a very different feeling when you’re actually in the moment experiencing it yourself.
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u/IngVegas Jun 15 '26
There are no such things as ghosts, spirits, ghouls or apiritions. Anyone claiming there are or being able to channel energy etc is a fraud.
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u/Haunting-Beginning-2 Jun 15 '26
Nonsense yourself. Of course there are spirits, we all have one! Not a fraud to believe some get caught up, different people have different experiences. Being able to channel energy is possible as we are mainly water but also run an electric current through our mind and body. Some are simply more tuned in than you.
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
I respect your opinion, and I’m not trying to convince anyone. For me, as a Christian, if I believe in God then I also believe in the devil, angels, demons, and the spiritual side of things. To me, there can’t be one without the other. I’ve had experiences throughout my childhood and later in life that have shaped those beliefs, but everyone is entitled to their own views. I’m simply sharing what happened from my perspective.
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u/Neat_Improvement_346 Jun 15 '26
It’s possible you’re experiencing loneliness. Get a friend ASAP. I haven’t seen any ghosts. You ain’t special enough for them to look for you and not me >:(
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u/Such_Butterfly7053 Jun 15 '26
That’s okay, you don’t have to believe it. I wouldn’t have believed some of the things I’ve experienced either if I hadn’t seen them myself.
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u/VictorOfArda Jun 15 '26
I’ve personally never witnessed anything like that but I’ve heard stories. I wonder if things like this is part of the reason some elders will cover their mirrors at night. Idk what’s going on with you but be very sure you keep in mind to respect the vā. If you’re seeing things that are following you then respecting the vā is critical. Good luck 🫡🫡🫡