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 C ...

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 ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

's South Island. Together with

Mount Cargill Mount Cargill, known in Māori as Kapukataumahaka,Place names'' on Kāti Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki website, viewed 2012-01-04 is a volcanic outcrop which dominates the skyline of northern Dunedin, New Zealand. The peak is named for Captain ...

, 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 an anglicised 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 re ...

, 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 of ...

, 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 has ...

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

Otago Harbour Otago Harbour is the 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 mouth. I ...

. The Pineapple Track, part of Dunedin's

Skyline Walkway A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylines ...

, 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