MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR BRIEFING ONLY · NOT FOR REAL-WORLD FLIGHT PLANNING OR NAVIGATION
Stage 03 • New Zealand • Tongariro to Taranaki

NZAP (Taupo) to NZNP (New Plymouth)

Three great stratovolcanoes and a trans-island run to the Tasman Sea

Route Distance129.0 NM
Est. Time (150 kt)00h 52m
Suggested Sim Altitude10,500–12,500 ft
Visual Waypoints4

Departure: NZAP (Taupo)

  • Elevation: 1,322 ft MSL
  • Runway: Hard surface, longest 4,536 ft · approx hdg 195°T
  • Fuel: Avgas / Jet fuel
  • Comms: UNICOM 118.4
  • MSFS mag var: 21.8°E

Arrival: NZNP (New Plymouth)

  • Elevation: 93 ft MSL
  • Runway: Hard surface, longest 4,297 ft · approx hdg 246°T
  • Fuel: Avgas / Jet fuel
  • Comms: Tower 118.1 | ATIS 127.05
  • MSFS mag var: 21.6°E
Volcanology Brief

Ruapehu

Tectonic setting: Taupō Volcanic Arc in the east, transitioning west toward the isolated Taranaki volcanic centre.

Why it matters: Ruapehu is New Zealand's highest active volcano and dominates the central North Island skyline.

Visual Route Map, Magnetic Tracks & Radio References

RING OF FIRE · VISUAL / MAGNETIC TRACK CHART N E S W VAR 21.7°E MSFS RADIO NAV REFERENCESAP DME 116.70 MHzNP VOR/DME 114.40 MHzOR VOR/DME 113.00 MHz 200°M174°M179°M247°M356°M NZAP · TaupoTONGA · TongariroNGAUR · NgāuruhoeRUAPE · RuapehuTARAN · TaranakiNZNP · New Plymouth AP DME 116.70 MHzNP VOR/DME 114.40 MHzOR VOR/DME 113.00 MHz Departure Arrival Volcano Caldera Optional airfield Route / °M badges

MSFS Radio Navigation References

Departure VOR
AP · VOR/DME
TAUPO
116.70 MHz · 0.5 NM from reference point
Arrival VOR
NP · VOR/DME
NEW PLYMOUTH
114.40 MHz · 0.2 NM from reference point
En-route VOR
OR · VOR/DME
OHURA
113.00 MHz · 15.5 NM from reference point

Navigation & Waypoint Breakdown

IdentTypeTrack (°M)Nav / FrequencyLeg DistCum. ETELandmarks & Sim Flying Notes
NZAPDeparture —AP DME 116.70 MHz 0.0 NM00:00 Depart Taupo; establish the visual route only when simulator weather and terrain are suitable.
TONGAVolcano / VP 200°Visual volcano 31.2 NM00h 12m Complex massif immediately north of Ngāuruhoe.
NGAURVolcano / VP 174°Visual volcano 1.7 NM00h 13m Classic symmetrical cone.
RUAPEVolcano / VP 179°Visual volcano 8.0 NM00h 16m High terrain: maintain generous clearance.
TARANVolcano / VP 247°Visual volcano 70.0 NM00h 44m The cone appears almost isolated above the western plains.
NZNPArrival 356°NP VOR/DME 114.40 MHz 18.1 NM00h 52m Land at New Plymouth.

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

NZAP TONGA NGAUR RUAPE TARAN NZNP

Garmin TDS GTNXi-style Reference

FPN/RI:NZAP:TONGA:NGAUR:RUAPE:TARAN:NZNP

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 03 NZAP to NZNP</Title>
    <FPType>VFR</FPType>
    <RouteType>Direct</RouteType>
    <CruisingAlt>10500</CruisingAlt>
    <DepartureID>NZAP</DepartureID>
    <DestinationID>NZNP</DestinationID>
        <ATCWaypoint id="NZAP">
            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>S38° 44' 23.00",E176° 05' 03.99",+001321.63</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="TONGA">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>S39° 07' 44.40",E175° 38' 31.20",+006490.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="NGAUR">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>S39° 09' 25.20",E175° 37' 55.20",+007516.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="RUAPE">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>S39° 16' 51.60",E175° 34' 12.00",+009177.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="TARAN">
            <ATCWaypointType>User</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>S39° 17' 45.60",E174° 03' 50.40",+008261.00</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
        <ATCWaypoint id="NZNP">
            <ATCWaypointType>Airport</ATCWaypointType>
            <WorldPosition>S39° 00' 31.00",E174° 10' 45.01",+000092.54</WorldPosition>
        </ATCWaypoint>
  </FlightPlan.FlightPlan>
</SimBase.Document>
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