Real world weather for New Zealand in MSFS is unfortunately limitied to METAR data sources from just three airports (NZAA, NZWN, NZCH), with interpolated lower resoultion Meteoblue data covering the remainder of the country.

After World Update 12, many users have been complaining about the incorrect snow coverage seen at sea level during mid summer around much of the South Island. This is a known bug due to the accuracy of Meteoblue’s New Zealand snow coverage data which results in a fallback texture set for snow being displayed on all surrounding mountaionus areas.

As a real world pilot with over 10 years flying experience around NZ, I thought I would create and share a series of downloadable presets that reflect typical weather patterns commonly experienced at various locations around the country to give simmers an fast and easy fuss free virtual flying experience. 

These presets are best suited for localised VFR flying as the presets are universal and will not change when flying cross country between different geographical microclimates.

To install, just drag and drop the 'NZ Weather Presets' folder into your main Community Folder.

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NZ Weather - Alpine Anticyclone

Best for flying around the Southern Alps. Light winds at all altitudes, with high scattered cloud, light haze, 1cm snow coverage

NZ Weather - Christchurch Afternoon Sea Breeze

Typical weather pattern seen at NZCH from mid morning with a north easterly sea breeze setting in, perfect for arrivals and departures for runway 02. Above the friction layer (2000 feet), winds swing southerly, so anticipate a tailwind on final appaoch untill below cloud base.

NZ Weather - Christchurch Gusty Nor Wester

A commonly seen foehn wind that drops down from the Southern Alps and creates warn gusty north westerly winds over Christchurch. Runway 29 is the favoured runway for use unless you want a crosswind. Surface wind set at 290/14G25 with a temperature of 26°C and high cloud base aligning with the tops of the nearby mountains. 

NZ Weather - North East Flow

Often seen in the North Island during summer, with a humid moisture laden airflow from the tropics bringing strataform cloud, rain showers and hazy conditions. Surface winds light north easterly, with upper winds increasing in strength, tending northerly.

NZ Weather - South West Flow

The most common weather pattern seen in New Zealand, with cooler denser air arriving over the country from the Southern Ocean. Few clouds at 2500 feet, occasional showers, but generally good visibility and stable flying conditions. Surface winds light south westerly, with upper winds increasing in strength, tending southerly.

NZ Weather - Typical Milford Sound

Milford Sound vary rarley sees snow to sea level, and due to the warm ocean surface temperature, it will never freeze into pack ice as currently shown with live weather in MSFS. This preset matches the current conditions at NZMF on the day of preset creation, with  surface winds 130/5, few clouds at 2500 feet, broken clouds at 4000 feet, and light rain showers.

NZ Weather - Valley Fog

With calm anticyclonic conditions, widespread fog often sits in the shaded valley areas nearby mountainous terrain before the sun gets a chance to burn it off. This preset is best enjoyed just after sunrise, with the fog only extending up to 150 feet. Try flying from NZWU to NZHN to see great examples of the effect. 

NZ Weather - Wellington Strong Northerly

Wellington Airport is famous for its strong wind conditions due to being located on the Cook Straight, a natural squeeze point for airflow between the North and South Islands. Fortunately the runway has been orientated into the prevailing wind direction, and whilst gusty, the wind is usually mostly headwind for runway 34. This preset has surface wind of 340/18G30 with broken clouds at 2500 feet.

NZ Weather - Mt Taranaki

A bonus preset, simular to the valley fog file, but has been designed to show off the Mount Taranaki stratovolcano on the North Island's west coast. Depart nearby NZNP, climb through the low level clouds and enjoy seeing the mountain revealing its peak through the overcast layer.