Headstones in Honolulu & Hawaii: Punchbowl and Island Traditions

Honolulu's National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific — known as Punchbowl — honours thousands of service members in a volcanic crater above the city. Across Oahu and the islands, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Okinawan and Native Hawaiian families keep their own memorial traditions.

Island traditions

Japanese and Okinawan families may include family crests and kanji; Chinese families include characters and ancestral details; Filipino families add portraits and Tagalog or Ilocano; Hawaiian families may choose Hawaiian words and plumeria or hibiscus designs. See plumeria meaning and hibiscus meaning.

Salt air

Sea air carries salt that can stain and wear softer stones. Dense, polished granite with deep-cut lettering resists it best. See best headstones for coastal cemeteries.

Island shipping

We deliver to Hawaii under DAP terms, with ocean freight included in the quote. Allow extra time for shipping.

Cemetery rules

In the United States, cemeteries are regulated state by state, and every cemetery — municipal, religious, nonprofit or private — sets its own rules on memorial sizes, materials, foundations and installation. Before you order:

• Ask the cemetery for its rules and fee schedule in writing (foundation, setting and any permit fees).
• Confirm who installs — cemetery staff or an approved monument company.
• Submit the design for approval before production.

Our cemetery headstone rules guide has a full checklist, and headstone setting fees explained covers the extra costs.

Veterans

Eligible veterans can receive a government headstone, marker or medallion, and families can also choose a private granite monument that includes service details. See veteran headstones and VA rules, the VA medallion and military inscriptions.

Factory-direct to Honolulu

Marwaa Memorials manufactures in our own factory and delivers door-to-door across the USA under DAP terms, with freight, customs and duties included in the quote. Plan the design in our Design Studio, request a quote, or call our US team via the contact page. Read how DAP delivery works.

Local pages: our Hawaii headstone guide.