The Hill of Sacrifice

Puowaina (pron: poo oh why nah) is the Hawaiian word for The Hill of Sacrifice.  We now call it Punchbowl Cemetery, the National Cemetary of the Pacific.

At the end of the main avenue and half-way up the crater wall, stands a statue of Columbia, the female personification of the United States.

The trees lining the stairway are all trimmed into circles, symbolizing unity and infinity.

Giant wall-sized mosaics depict the different phases of WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

The red lines are the Japanese attacks and the blue lines show the Allies counter-attack.

Each of the mosaics are done with great detail.  In addition to the information regarding the battles, vignettes pepper the walls.

It's absolutely amazing what a person can do with tiny  bits of colored glass.

 Soapbox Time:  THIS is what the Endowment for the Arts should be supporting.  Just look at the technique and detail!  The photos don't do it justice.

 Behind the Columbia statue in the center of the memorial's semi-circle is this tiny little chapel.  The wall behind the cross is made of pink marble, the floor is green granite, and the white walls are all coral.

To the left of the cross is the Jewish Star of David and to the right is the Buddhist Wheel of Righteousness.

On either side of the chapel are these beautiful arches.  The ironwork is open with colored bits of molded glass.

There is always a pleasant breeze in this peaceful chapel. 

Here is one of the glass casings up close.

From the overlook at the top of Punchbowl Crater, you can see the city of Honolulu laid out like a topographical map.

In the distance is Diamond Head Crater.

A container ship headed towards Honolulu Harbor.

I like how the horizon lined up the top of one of the buildings and how the ship kind of floats on top of one of the highrises.

Here's Honolulu looking to the left.  The square building in the middle is the state capital.  It's surrounded by a "moat" and the center roof is opened to the sky.

Before Punchbowl was turned into a national cemetery in 1948, native Hawaiians lived here.  Due to the shape, it naturally collects water on this dry side of the island.

Purportedly, the flat rock to the left with the tree trying to grow over it is the site of human sacrifices to the gods.  The royalty, called the ali'i (a lee ee) were also secretly buried here.  The bones were moved when it became a US national cemetery.