Laupāhoehoe Harbor is located on the northeast side of the island of Hawai’i, near the Hamakua Coast. Laupāhoehoe Harbor was authorized under Section 107 of the River and Harbor Act of 1960, as amended. The local sponsor is the Department of Parks and Recreation, County of Hawai’i. The project is in the operations and maintenance phase.

The project was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in August 1988, at a cost of $3,760,000 (Federal: $2,930,000; non-Federal: $830,000). An additional contract ($235,000) was completed in 1990 to remove a rock shelf, adjacent to the seaward edge of the turning basin and to place revetment stones to improve navigation safety. The project consists of a 200-foot-long breakwater, 60-foot-long wave absorber, 9.5-foot-deep entrance channel (190 feet long and 100-140 feet wide), and a 7.5-foot-deep turning basin (100 feet long and 100 feet wide).

Laupāhoehoe means “leaf of lava” and refers to the peninsula formed by smooth lava on which the village of Laupāhoehoe was built. In 1946, a deadly tsunami hit the Big Island's windward coast. A memorial erected in the memory of those who died is located at the Laupāhoehoe Point Beach Park which surrounds the harbor.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible to maintain the breakwater structure and authorized Federal project depths in the entrance channel and turning basin.  The Department of Parks and Recreation, County of Hawai’i is responsible for the launch ramp, and shore side features.