Mar 28 1980
Flagstaff Name
Flagstaff’s original name was the Maori ‘Whakaari’, meaning ‘uplifted to view’. Like many other place-names that were changed in early European times, so was Whakaari. The name Flagstaff was adopted by the early settlers because flags were raised on the summit to signal the approach of coaches from Central Otago. – Department of Lands and Survey, for NZ Walkway Commission.