Pauli Kaʻōleiokū (c. 1767–1818) was a Prince of Hawaii.
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Early childhood
Pauli Kaʻōleiokū was born in about 1767. His mother was High Chiefess Kānekapōlei, a wife of Kalaniʻōpuʻu. His paternity is a matter of some debate. However, it is known that Pauli Kaōleiokū was an ali'i po'olua. Both Kalaniʻōpuʻu and Kamehameha accepted him as their own son. A dispute is not suggested by this from Hawaiian tradition as po'olua was a common and formally acknowledged, chiefly acceptance that enhanced the offspring's lineage. He was admitted into manhood by the traditional ʻawa ceremony around 1778. Shortly after that, he was among the first to meet Captain Cook when he came to the islands. He was known to be an expert spear thrower because of his ability to predict where a moving target would go to.
Battle of Mokuʻōhai
In 1782 Kamehameha I won his first decisive victory towards conquering the islands. King Kalaniʻopuʻu had died a year before leaving his son Kiwalaʻo to rule in his place. Keōua Kūʻahuʻula was left nothing by his father after his death. Enraged by this, Keōua made several provocative moves to insult the new ruler and would become Kamehameha's chief rival during the battle that would ensue. Kamehameha received encouragement and the backing of several prominent figures instead of the new King. Kaʻōleiokū was Keōua's half-brother and supported him in the battle and afterwards, escaped with him to Kaʻū.