Flagstaff, known in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

as Te Whanaupaki,
Place names
'' on Kāti Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki website, viewed 2012-01-04 is a prominent hill overlooking the northwest of the city of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

, in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. Together with

Mount Cargill Mount Cargill, known in Māori as ,Place names'' on Kāti Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki website, viewed 4 January 2012 is a volcanic outcrop which dominates the skyline of northern Dunedin, New Zealand. The peak is named for Captain Willia ...

, which lies to its northeast, it dominates the skyline of the city. Flagstaff lies seven kilometres to the north of Dunedin's city centre. The hill was known by the

as ''Whakari'', and the Southern Māori form of this name is still used for the Dunedin suburb of

Wakari Wakari ( ) is a residential suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located to the northwest of the city centre, immediately to the west of the ridge which runs to the west of the city's centre. Wakari lies to the north of the upper r ...

, which lies to the south of Flagstaff. The city's first road route to the

Taieri Plains The Taieri Plain (also referred to in the plural as the Taieri Plains) is an area of fertile agricultural land to the southwest of Dunedin, in Otago, New Zealand. The plain covers an area of some 300 square kilometres, with a maximum extent o ...

, which lie to the west, skirted the slopes of Flagstaff, and is still used as an alternative route out of the city. Flagstaff rises to a height of , and is part of the rim of the

Dunedin Volcano The Dunedin Volcano is an extensively eroded multi-vent shield volcano that was active between 16 and 10 million years ago. It originally extended from the modern city of Dunedin, New Zealand to Aramoana about 25 km away. Extensive erosion ...

, a long-extinct volcano of which the crater forms the

Otago Harbour Otago Harbour is the harbor, natural harbour of Dunedin, New Zealand, consisting of a long, much-indented stretch of generally navigable water separating the Otago Peninsula from the mainland. They join at its southwest end, from the harbour m ...

. The Pineapple Track, part of Dunedin's Skyline Walkway, crosses the peak of Flagstaff. The track's unusual name dates from the 1920s, when a local grocer used to act as a guide to the top of Flagstaff, handing out tins of pineapple as a refreshment at the top.Hamel, A. (2007) ''Dunedin tracks and trails.'' Dunedin: Silver Peaks Press. . p. 5.04–5.06 The empty cans were often left behind, and were frequently seen along the side of the track as unofficial marker posts. This track, though not an arduous walk, needs to be treated with care, as the weather around Flagstaff can be extremely unpredictable.

References

* Bishop, G. and Hamel, A. (1993). ''From Sea to Silver Peaks.'' Dunedin : McIndoe Publishers. * Dann, C. and Peat, N. (1989). ''Dunedin, North and South Otago.'' Wellington: GP Books. Geography of Dunedin Hills of Otago {{Otago-geo-stub