FF VII was never fiished Aerth was to be (ya know)

[Squall of SeeD]

As for the matter of that rod you mentioned, can't you go to Mideel using the Tiny Bronco before Aerith is ever killed? I never bothered with doing so, but I imagine that there's probably a beach on that island.

You can't make it to Mideel with the tiny bronco. the beach there is cut off from everywhere else.

Yeah, you and Big D were right about that. While there are shallows that connect to beaches there, you can't access two of those beaches with the Bronco, and the third doesn't have a landing point from where one could access Mideel.

However, that's irrelevant, as Kawaii is right about there being no Crystal Rod in the first place. It just doesn't exist. Aerith has no weapons that are impossible for her to access before her death. There's no weapon for her in Mideel.