Waiohinu is the name of the town as well as the ahupua'a, Native Hawaiian subdivision.
Mark Twain visited Waiohinu in 1866 and, legend has it, planted a monkeypod tree. The tree was blown down in 1957, but a shoot from the tree was replanted and remains there today.
Kauaha'ao Church was built in 1888 by Calvinist missionaries in Waiohinu. The historic church building was demolished in April 1998 because of extensive termite damage.
Wong Yuen Store was built in 1914 by Chinese immigrant, Wong Yuen. The store is still currently in operation.
Waiohinu is at the very southern tip of the Big Island of Hawai'i, on Hawaii Route 11, which is part of the Hawai'i Belt Road. It is 57 miles southeast of Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i and 32 miles southwest of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Waiohinu's ZIP code is 96772, which it shares with the nearby town of NÄ'Älehu, Hawai'i.