Hi @Dobey - I hope you’re doing well!
I don’t think there will be a RhinoGold version for MAC, but you might want to contact TDM Solutions directly to see what their plans are.
You could model this in NURBS up to a certain point, but probably you won’t be able to add all the nitty gritty details, nor would it be recommended imho. You could definitely model it flat and then use FlowAlongSrf to map it onto any curved surface.
Here’s a tutorial that might help you get started with the NURBS feasibility part:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DWJ1R05mcc.
We are adding SubD tools in Rhino 7 WIP. You might want to try this version out.