MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR BRIEFING ONLY · NOT FOR REAL-WORLD FLIGHT PLANNING OR NAVIGATION
Stage 01 • New Zealand • Auckland Volcanic Field to Taupō Volcanic Zone

NZAA (Auckland Intl) to NZRO (Rotorua)

Rangitoto, the Bay of Plenty and the first signs of New Zealand's restless interior

Route Distance120.2 NM
Est. Time (150 kt)00h 48m
Suggested Sim Altitude4,500–6,500 ft
Visual Waypoints2

Departure: NZAA (Auckland Intl)

  • Elevation: 14 ft MSL
  • Runway: Hard surface, longest 12,078 ft · approx hdg 71°T
  • Fuel: Avgas / Jet fuel
  • Comms: Tower 118.7 | ATIS 127
  • MSFS mag var: 20.4°E

Arrival: NZRO (Rotorua)

  • Elevation: 937 ft MSL
  • Runway: Hard surface, longest 6,056 ft · approx hdg 205°T
  • Fuel: Avgas / Jet fuel
  • Comms: Tower 120.1 | ATIS 128.8
  • MSFS mag var: 21.3°E
Volcanology Brief

Rangitoto

Tectonic setting: Pacific Plate subducting beneath the Australian Plate; Auckland itself is an intraplate basaltic field.

Why it matters: Auckland's youngest volcanic cone rises from the Hauraki Gulf and makes a perfect visual departure landmark.

Visual Route Map, Magnetic Tracks & Radio References

RING OF FIRE · VISUAL / MAGNETIC TRACK CHART N E S W VAR 20.9°E MSFS RADIO NAV REFERENCESAA VOR/DME 114.80 MHzRO VOR/DME 112.10 MHzHN VOR/DME 114.00 MHz 353°M123°M104°M NZAA · Auckland IntlRANGI · RangitotoKAI · Kaimai RangeNZRO · Rotorua AA VOR/DME 114.80 MHzRO VOR/DME 112.10 MHzHN VOR/DME 114.00 MHz Departure Arrival Volcano Caldera Optional airfield Route / °M badges

MSFS Radio Navigation References

Departure VOR
AA · VOR/DME
AUCKLAND
114.80 MHz · 1.1 NM from reference point
Arrival VOR
RO · VOR/DME
ROTORUA
112.10 MHz · 0.2 NM from reference point
En-route VOR
HN · VOR/DME
HAMILTON
114.00 MHz · 20.2 NM from reference point

Navigation & Waypoint Breakdown

IdentTypeTrack (°M)Nav / FrequencyLeg DistCum. ETELandmarks & Sim Flying Notes
NZAADeparture —AA VOR/DME 114.80 MHz 0.0 NM00:00 Depart Auckland Intl; establish the visual route only when simulator weather and terrain are suitable.
RANGIVolcano / VP 353°Visual volcano 13.7 NM00h 05m Auckland's iconic island cone; keep clear of terrain and controlled airspace.
KAIVisual Point 123°Visual terrain 79.5 NM00h 37m Cross the Kaimai high ground before descending toward Rotorua.
NZROArrival 104°RO VOR/DME 112.10 MHz 27.0 NM00h 48m Land at Rotorua.

Volcano & Terrain Tips — Simulator

  • Ash / plume awareness: Treat any visible volcanic plume as a no-go visual area in the simulator and route around it.
  • Terrain: The altitude band is a sightseeing suggestion, not a clearance guarantee. Use the simulator's terrain/weather information and stay laterally clear of high summits.
  • Weather: Mountain cloud, rotor and poor visibility can hide landmarks quickly. If the route stops being visually comfortable in MSFS, divert around the high terrain.

Data Note

Airport existence, coordinates, elevation, magnetic variation, runway length, fuel flags and airport radio frequencies are derived from the supplied MSFS 2024 scenery-library CSV; radio-navigation references use the supplied VOR, NDB and ILS datasets.

VOR, NDB and ILS references are selected from the supplied MSFS 2024 navigation-library CSVs. Only nearby aids useful for orientation are shown, so the volcanic sightseeing route remains visually readable.

Digital Asset Pack

EFB / Route Reference

NZAA RANGI KAI NZRO

Garmin TDS GTNXi-style Reference

FPN/RI:NZAA:RANGI:KAI:NZRO

Volcano identifiers are custom visual waypoints from this briefing.

MSFS .pln Skeleton

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<SimBase.Document>
  <FlightPlan.FlightPlan>
    <Title>Ring of Fire Stage 01 NZAA to NZRO</Title>
    <FPType>VFR</FPType>
    <RouteType>Direct</RouteType>
    <CruisingAlt>4500</CruisingAlt>
    <DepartureID>NZAA</DepartureID>
    <DestinationID>NZRO</DestinationID>
        <ATCWaypoint id="NZAA">
            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>S37° 00' 29.00",E174° 47' 30.02",+000014.42</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="RANGI">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>S36° 47' 09.60",E174° 51' 36.00",+000853.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="KAI">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>S37° 51' 00.00",E175° 50' 60.00",+003000.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="NZRO">
            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>S38° 06' 32.99",E176° 19' 01.97",+000937.13</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
  </FlightPlan.FlightPlan>
</SimBase.Document>
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