Dial-up users please note, loading times will vary depending on connection speed. Please be patient.

Overview & Background

• NEC H7101k running an Intel® Pentium® D Processor 820 (2.80GHz, 2X1M L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB),
• 2GB/533MHz DDR2 (4 X 512MB)
• 200Gb SATA HD (7200 RPM)
• MSI 7900GTO (512MB) graphics card
• Sony wide screen LDV TV

Good high detail renditions of the Picton Interisland Ferry terminal and the float plane dock are the central scenery items at Picton. There are also various other Easter eggs scattered in this area. I did note that the ramp leading to the ferry dock itself stops in mid-air, this seemed a little strange as I would have thought extending it a little further to arc down to the ground would have been relatively straight forward. Having said that it could well be that the scenery was designed around the Red Baron 20 meter mesh. For those of us who don't use it the final effect is a little strange, and I couldn't find anything in the documentation that said this. The float plane dock is well built allowing for float plane operations around this idyllic area of the sounds. Picton is also the gateway to the sounds themselves, so this inclusion makes for a great staging point if you want to explore by air or water.

Being a very small airfield Robin has been able to render it in full detail, right down to the train crossing signs on the road leading in and out. The small terminal and associated support buildings are all presented as they are in real life. In his Pilots Perspective below, Scott Hickey talks about the approach to this small airfield, and why it addition is a real bonus for users.

The region of Blenheim itself is a vast flat area snuggled in between mountains on either side, perfect wine making country. This vast area is well captured with the photoreal textures, following state highway 1 from Picton through the valleys into Blenheim itself is a good example oh what higher res textures can do, and at altitude you really get a sense of being there.

Woodbourne is both an active military airfield but also Safe Airs maintenance base as well as being the regional civilian airport. Stunning is the only way I can describe what Robin has done here. The level of detail is quite extraordinary, the screenshots really only tell part of the story as this airport has much to find in terms of 'neat' features that as a fellow developer really allow me to appreciate the time and effort that has gone into this. There were times review man was walking around the facilities where I had to stop and remind myself I was not looking at a photo, such is the level of detail Robin has put in.

While I may have praised Woodbourne for detail, its Omaka that is in my opinion the crowning glory of Real New Zealand Marlborough. This is not a sim, its the real thing!! Walking through the grounds I was transported back to the quiet summer evening I spent strolling around this airfield in February this year. Omaka captures the feel, atmosphere and detail that is Omaka. This airfield is not so much an airport but a rabbit warren filled with delights to be found from the huge iconic hangar with BP slowly fading on the roof, to the grounds of the world class aviation museum housing Peter Jackson's collection of WWI aircraft. Flying is almost not the point here, you need to walk through it, slowly, to fully appreciate what has been achieved here. Like a fine wine made in the winery just down the road from this airfield, if you gulp your way past Omaka you really might as well drink water. Omaka IS Real New Zealand, an experience, not a stop over between Nelson & Wellington.

PILOTS PERSPECTIVE

Well where do I start, will lets go with Woodbourne, it feels like an airport. Taxiing out on the photoreal ground textures just gives that feeling that you are actually about to fly an aircraft out of a REAL airport as do the taxi signs displaying things like the VOR frequencies (of which they do in real life). But I think the most noticeable thing is when you have lifted of from where ever it may be, Picton, Woodbourne or Omaka and look around the high resolution ground textures and autogen, I found my self having to snap back to actually flying the aircraft.

On approach to the Omaka airfield the realism in the grass runways is astounding, having never flown into Omaka before but have done plenty of other grass takeoffs and landing, flying into Omaka which is an all grass airstrip was a real pleasure. One thing that grass has and is modeled here very very well is how hard you have to look to find them (grass runways - Ed), after finding myself doing several overhead passes and having my eyes centimeters from my screen it was time to get out the AIP (Aeronautical Information Publication Chart - Ed) to actually find the runways. This truly is a “REAL NEW ZEALAND” airport

Finally on to Picton, four words …. “Mountain approach becomes REAL” located in a bit of a valley it is definitely one of those ‘keep your wits about you’ approach and departures and make the weather bad, low visibility and at dusk or night and you are going to have some fun. And nothing quite beats, at the end of your flight in a Sounds Air Cessna, taxiing up to the small terminal and being able to see inside and your companies name and other equipment all around the airport. Robin Corn has defiantly continued his every greatening quest to make New Zealand real with Real New Zealand Marlborough.