Aiea Cemetery – Aiea, Hawaii - Atlas Obscura
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Aiea Cemetery

Aiea, Hawaii

A unique collection of Western and Japanese-style graves. 

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Hidden between freeways lies the Aiea Cemetery, also known as the Aiea Plantation Cemetery.

Crumbling cement crosses and gravemarkers out of wood and steel decorate the cemetery. Typical Japanese gravestones and Western-style gravestones are also present, this makes the cemetery a unique collection of funerary art. 

Standing on this little field, surrounded by so much concrete, makes this place seem unreal. The graveyard was once around two acres, but the military took over the makai section during World War II to make way for Kamehameha Highway and parking. The graves were reinterred on the mauka side.

The cemetery was closed in the 1970s, and the last known burials are from 1975.  

Know Before You Go

The roads around the cemetery are either freeways, busy highways, or ramps. It is difficult to approach. It is possible to stop at a pull-off on the right just after the exit to Moanalua Freeway. 

burial places cemeteries history & culture
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Published
March 14, 2022
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