Punchbowl Cemetery: The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

Why It Is Called Punchbowl

The crater is a tuff cone formed 75,000 to 100,000 years ago, and its shape gave the cemetery its everyday name. The Hawaiian name for the crater is Puowaina, most commonly translated as Hill of Sacrifice. Under Kamehameha the Great, two cannons on the rim saluted distinguished arrivals.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, anti-aircraft guns on Punchbowl fired during the attack on Pearl Harbor, which you can read about in the guide to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The crater stands near the center of Honolulu, and the cemetery inside it has become one of the most visited places in Hawaii. Its formal name is the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and it is run by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

How the Cemetery Began

The first interment took place on January 4, 1949. Sources give the opening dates in two ways: Wikipedia says the cemetery opened to the public on July 19, 1949, and also records its dedication on September 2, 1949. Both dates fall in 1949, and the first burial came before either of them.

The cemetery has space for cremated remains in the columbarium, and casketed burial space depends on availability.

Key Dates

The table below gathers the dates of the crater and the cemetery from the VA, ABMC and Wikipedia accounts, including both versions of the opening and dedication dates.

The Honolulu Memorial

At the top of a long staircase stands the Honolulu Memorial, established by the American Battle Monuments Commission. It is one of three ABMC war memorials in the United States, alongside the East Coast and West Coast memorials to the missing of World War II. A chapel sits at the top of the stairs, flanked by galleries with mosaic maps of the Central and South Pacific and Korea.

The memorial was expanded in 2012 with two pavilions, one holding an orientation map and the other two mosaic maps of the Vietnam War. Along the cemetery pathways you pass 60 memorial boulders with bronze plaques, counted in 2012.

The Courts of the Missing and Lady Columbia

The Courts of the Missing carry the names of Americans with no known grave. The VA and ABMC figures are 18,095 missing from World War II in the Pacific and 8,210 from the Korean War, and the Wikipedia total across the marble slabs is 28,788 names in the courts. Count the courts either as eight full courts plus two half courts, the VA and ABMC description, or ten Courts of the Missing, the Wikipedia description.

At the top of the staircase in the Court of Honor stands a statue of Lady Columbia, the figure most visitors photograph. The name lists were dedicated with the Korean War names in 1966 and the Vietnam War names were added in 1980.

Who Is Buried at Punchbowl

Medal of Honor recipient and long-serving Hawaii Senator Daniel K. Inouye is buried at Punchbowl, Section D, Site 391-A. Honolulu's airport is named for him. Chief Boatswain Edwin Hill, killed on the USS Nevada on December 7, 1941, is also buried here. The cemetery holds the unidentified remains of sailors from the USS Oklahoma: the NPS counts them in 46 plots, while Wikipedia describes 394 remains buried in 61 caskets in 45 graves in 1950.

About 70 generic unknown markers for men lost on the USS Arizona were replaced in 2001 with markers naming the ship. This page stays with the cemetery. For the ship itself, see the USS Arizona Memorial.

Hours, Address and Getting There

The cemetery is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The office is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closes on federal holidays except Memorial Day. The address is 2177 Puowaina Drive, Honolulu, HI 96813, and the phone number is 808-532-3720.

Punchbowl sits roughly midway between the airport and the Waikiki hotel area. The cemetery has a visitor kiosk. City tours such as the Pearl Harbor and Honolulu City Tour, a 5 hour route for $69, include Punchbowl along with the King Kamehameha Statue and Iolani Palace.

Finding a Grave

Start at the visitor kiosk, and if you need help before you travel, call the office on 808-532-3720 during office hours. Section D, Site 391-A is the grave of Daniel K. Inouye. If a grave matters to your visit, plan your own trip rather than a tour, so you set the time yourself.

The private Pearl Harbor and city tour includes the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl Crater for $233 per person over 4 to 5 hours.

Rules for Flowers and Grave Items

Visitors may place fresh cut flowers and wreaths on graves at any time, in metal containers and not glass. Staff sweep the flowers every Friday, and the VA notes that flowers wilt after a few days in the hot tropical climate inside the crater. Potted plants and artificial flowers are allowed only in the window from five days before to five days after Christmas Day, and Christmas trees are never allowed.

Fruit and non-alcoholic beverages may be placed on graves, though the columbarium asks for minimal amounts. Statues, vigil lights, glass objects, pinwheels, balloons, wind chimes and stuffed toys are not allowed on gravesites, and visitors may not maintain graves, so no cutting grass, trenching or painting markers.

Conduct and Closures

Firearms, explosives and other weapons are prohibited on VA property, with an exception for official purposes such as military funeral honors. This is an active cemetery, so keep noise low and stay on the paths. A safety project that replaced the sidewalks at Columbarium Courts 1 to 5 has finished, and those courts are open again.

The 6 hour Pearl Harbor and Punchbowl Tour for $58 visits Punchbowl and drives through the Courts of the Missing with Polynesian Adventure, and the $100 small-group Arizona Memorial tour stops at the cemetery with up to 22 guests.

How Each Tour Handles the Crater

Not every listing means the same thing by Punchbowl. The Oahu: Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, and City Tour and the Oahu: Pearl Harbor USS Arizona Memorial Small Group Tour list the cemetery without a drive-by or pass-by qualifier. The Oahu: Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, and City Highlights Tour lists a drive-through of the Courts of the Missing, which means you see the memorial from the bus window. The two Arizona and Missouri tours pass by on the way through town, and the private tour lists the crater as a stop on a longer city circuit. If seeing the Honolulu Memorial up close matters to you, pick a listing that names it as a stop rather than a pass by.

All of these tours include hotel pickup and a visit to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, so Punchbowl is never the whole day. Pair it with the USS Arizona Memorial for a day built around remembrance. You can compare every option on the homepage, which lists Pearl Harbor tours from Honolulu side by side.

Which One Fits a Cemetery Visit

The two cheapest options, at $58 and $69, both add downtown Honolulu sights such as the King Kamehameha Statue, and the $58 listing drives through the Courts of the Missing. If you want time on the ground at the memorial, the $100 small group tour is the shortest of the stopping tours at 4 hours, while the private option at $233 per person adds Diamond Head and runs 4 to 5 hours for up to 14 people per booking. Prices above are per person, and every listing offers free cancellation 24 hours ahead.

A broader shortlist of Pearl Harbor tour from Waikiki options sits on the homepage if you want to weigh a cemetery stop against a full Pearl Harbor day.

Location and Hours

The address is 2177 Puowaina Drive, Honolulu, HI 96813, and the phone number is 808-532-3720. The grounds are open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The office keeps shorter hours, Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and closes on federal holidays except Memorial Day. Punchbowl sits in an extinct volcano near the centre of Honolulu, roughly midway between the airport and the Waikiki hotel area, so it is an easy add-on to a city day.

The cemetery has a visitor kiosk, and it is described as one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hawaii.

Buses, Parking and Driving

This guide does not list a bus route, fare or parking details for Punchbowl. The visitor kiosk and the cemetery office phone line, 808-532-3720, are the reliable points of contact for access questions. If you would rather not organise the trip yourself, the guided options in the table above include Waikiki hotel pickup, and the Pearl Harbor and Punchbowl Tour page breaks down the cheapest of them.

For Pearl Harbor itself, the guide to the bus to Pearl Harbor from Waikiki covers the transit side of that site.