Auckland and the North

Auckland and the North
For Saturday, March 18, 2023
Michael MacKuen

Today we shall take a look a the sights of Auckland and then head to the more rural country to the north. We shall visit the happily-isolated Great Barrier Island and return to the main city Whangarei. Then up the peninsula over the beautiful coastlines of Northland to the northern tip, Cape Reinga.


Heading to the North out of Auckland

We depart from Auckland International [NZAA], meeting up at the Executive Aviation FBO, east of the Domestic Terminal and right next to the Auckland Emergency Services. (Near Parking 47 in the Default Airport and Parking 58-59 in the Flightbeam version.) We head north over Auckland to see Eden Park [EDENP], the city’s main sports stadium and the home to the All Blacks, the legendary rugby side. A quick circle and east to Mount Eden [MEDEN], the prominent hill that sited a Māori fort before the Europeans arrived – and then the Auckland Domain and the War Memorial Museum [ADOM]. Crossing over the city center, we see the University of Auckland [AUKU] (the country’s most prominent research university). Then the Sky Tower [SKYT], the downtown’s most prominent landmark. We pass southwest of the main port facilities, crossing the Westhaven Marina and fly over (or under) the Auckland Harbour Bridge [AHB]. Then over the northern suburbs, noting Albany Stadium [ALB] before landing at North Shore Airport [NZNE].

We turn northeast, over water, to the small commercial field at Great Barrier Island [NZGB]. The local residents are happy to have escaped the modern New Zealand lifestyle, instead engaged in farming and tourism – all while living “off-the-grid.” We visit the grass strip at Okiwi Station [NZOX] near the beautiful bayside beaches, and then pass over the sheltered bay at Port Fitzroy to execute a touch-and-go at the remote Kaikoura Island [NZKD]. Then we return to the mainland, passing the oil refinery and port at Marsden Point [MARS] to land at Whangarei [NZWR], a commercial airport with regularly scheduled services to other parts of the country. The metro area, to the northwest, is by far the largest city on the peninsula.

We head north to more rural parts, visiting the grass strips at Whananaki [NZNI] and Whangaruru [NZ2J]. We head out to the light at Cape Brett and beyond to the often-photographed Hole in the Rock [HOLE]. After circling, we come back to the Bay of Islands, the internationally acclaimed spot for boating and especially deep sea fishing. This was made famous by American writer and fisherman Zane Grey in the 1920s, when he established a lodge at Otehei Bay [ZANE] that attracted sportsmen from around the world. We slow down at Paihia [PAIH], the main town for the busy vacation islands. And then we turn a mile northwest to circle over the Waitangi Treaty Grounds [TREAT]. This site celebrates the 1840 treaty between the Māori and the British which  provided a legal accommodation between the two sides – one which was often ignored over the next century. In the last generation, the treaty has been resurrected as a symbol for the developing relationship between the Māori and the New Zealand government.

We continue onward, turning at the town of Kerikeri and the site of the historic first British Mission Station [MISSN] (we can see a hand-crafted model of the old Mission House and an iconic Stone Store). We land south of the town at Kerikeri [NZKK], a modest commercial and tourist airport.

Then northward along the coastline, first taking a gander at the excellent Kauri Cliffs Golf Club [KAURI] [CLIFFS]. This dramatic site is routinely listed among the top 50 golf courses in the world. We pass over beautiful Whangaroa Harbour [WANG] on the way to the sparsely populated Karikari Peninsula to land on the dirt strip at Rangiputa [NZ2X], a beachside town. We continue onto the Aupouri Peninsula, passing the scenic Houhora Harbour and take a look at the interesting emergency landing strip at Arterial Road [NZ2R].

We reach the Tasman Sea and turn north along the famous Ninety Mile Beach [90MI], actually only 55 miles long. The beach is nominally a public highway – now used mostly by tourists. This is a much-loved landmark for New Zealanders. At the top are the Te Paki Sand Dunes [DUNE] whose desert landscapes are used for sandboarding. We turn at Cape Maria Van Diemen [DEMEN] along Te Werahi Beach to reach Cape Reinga [RENGA] nominally at the northernmost tip of the peninsula (not quite the northernmost tip of New Zealand). In Māori, this is the “leaping-off place of the spirits,” where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld. From the Cape Reinga Lighthouse, a New Zealand icon, you can see the whitewater tidal clash between the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In 2010 it finally became possible to reach the Cape via sealed road and the number of visitors has grown to thousands a day during the peak season. We turn east to the beach at Spirits Bay [SBAY] and then south to land at our final destination Waitiki Landing [NZWQ], a small settlement with a general store, café, holiday park, and vehicle refueling and electric recharging stations. The airstrip is operated by Salt Air for tourist excursions from the Bay of Islands to Cape Reinga.

Documentation
The flightplan is available here. Pilots with a TDS GTN750 should look at the directions for use.

Aircraft
Today’s flight is 304nm, so we’ll need something that will fly at 150-155kts. Several of the airports are of modest length, so plan accordingly. (The very shortest are touch-and-go material.) I shall fly a Bonanza. As ever, please fly what you like.

Additional Scenery
Most airports are in the default simulator, but not all. I would recommend the following freeware sceneries. Thanks to these fine authors.

New Zealand North Island Unregistered Strips Part 1. phr34k86.
  (You want Arterial Road NZ2R, Rangiputa NZ2X, Whanguru NZ2J)
North Shore [NZNE]. STR1KEStudioz.
Great Barrier Island [NZGB, NZOX, NZKD]. STR1KEStudioz.
Whanaki Airstrip [NZNI]. STR1KEStudioz.
Waitiki Landing Aerodrome [NZWQ]. rizzeld.
Bay of Islands improvement mod. rizzeld.

You can get a package here.

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 3:00 pm local for March 18, 2023. This is a late summer afternoon in New Zealand. We typically prefer real weather.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, March 18, 2023. 1900 UTC
NOTE that this is UTC time. In North America under Daylight Savings Time, we start an hour later (local) than normal. We shall readjust once Europe goes on Daylight Savings Time.
Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel
Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!