Aircraft used: default 32N, AT7
Live weather: on
In reality A320s don’t fly here — only ATRs and Dash 8s — however I wanted to try the default 32N for the sake of thorough testing.
DETAIL
When I first bought this airport it was among my top three for detail. I was blown away. Almost eight months later and I still find it impressive, however eight months in MSFS terms is a long time and detail has taken yet another leap towards reality.
That’s not to say this airport is in any way obsolete because it can still hold its own against the best October/November 2023 can offer.
It’s a small airport that handles regional flights by Air New Zealand and Originair. It’s also an ANZ maintenance base for their fleet of ATR-72s and Dash 8s and a variety of these aircraft — as well as a couple of Originair’s J31s — are included as statics.
The detail is extremely good and the whole place blends in perfectly with the surrounding photogrammetry (which Asobo made a good job of with NZ!). The terminal is nicely detailed and features a fully modelled interior, including upstairs offices and lounges. On the ground floor you’ll find the check-in area (with some animated TV screens), baggage reclaim (with animated luggage) and the departure lounge, which features ample seating, a shop, a cafe and a bar. A classic car is on display near the entrance doors and NZA have included animated passengers. Oh, and they’ve put some lovely detail into all the carpets!
The apron, taxiway and runway textures are excellent, exhibiting convincing signs of wear and tear. The terminal landside is just as detailed as anywhere else, featuring custom local taxis, baggage carts, modelled roads, signage, vegetation and parked vehicles. The ANZ maintenance hangars are of course included and contain a handful of the company’s ATRs and Dash 8s. I particularly like the opacity of the hangar windows, allowing you to see what’s going on inside.
There are numerous peripheral buildings/hangars, each with their own details (like the bicycle rental hut with bikes standing outside). NZA have also modelled a few of the area’s best-known landmarks, pertinent to the final approach to RWY20. These include a museum (featuring an Armstrong Whitworth Argosy), a lighthouse and, right under the approach at the runway end, an amusement park with giant waterslide.
Lowering the light reveals some nice night-lighting, thankfully with a lack of Asobo ‘globes’ floating around!
PERFORMANCE
When I first bought this scenery it was prone to black screens and, occasionally, crashes. However fairly recently NZA issued a patch which fixed some photogrammetry issues and slightly improved performance. That fix, coupled with SU13, has made NZNS really stable and it now gives me no grief whatsoever. I still try to be careful, just in case, but all my recent flights have been trouble-free, even when using the drone and extensive exterior viewing.
VERDICT
While this airport might not be as impressive as it was almost eight months ago, it’s still beautifully modelled. There’s not a single low-res texture to be found and it fits flawlessly into its scenic surroundings. The nearby hills and mountains make for an enjoyable approach to either runway (particularly 20 with its additional detail) and the inclusion of a good number of well-modelled static aircraft make the place feel ‘used’. The terminal interior is impressive, despite the building being only small, and peering in from your parked airliner is one of MSFS’s little pleasures!
New Zealand is such a wonderful place to fly in the sim and the country’s size means it’s great for hopping around in the ATR. Just as well since ATRs are the largest type able to land here!
The only downside is that this airport is very expensive when not on offer — £18.49 when I last checked! There are equally detailed, larger airports available for half that price!
IMAGES
