Hi folks,

I'm just after booking a 9 month trip from Ireland to Oz and SE Asia leaving early January, and looking for some advice to get the most out of it kiting wise.

Summary of the key dates & stops

- Flying from Dublin to Hong Kong on 7th Jan
- Flying from Hong Kong to Sydney on 16th Jan

I'll be living and working (on and off) in Oz until mid July, likely to spend most of that time in Sydney but would consider other cities depending on work and kiting options.

- Planning to spend two weeks in NZ mid July
- Flying from Sydney to Bali for the last week in July.
- Flying from Bali to Singapore at the start of August and have two months to spend in SE Asia before flying from Bangkok to Dublin at the end of September.

The questions I have are as follows:
- What kind of wind should I expect in Sydney from January to June? From looking online, Botany Bay seems to be the main kite spot close to the city.

- I previously worked as a PASA qualified kitesurfing instructor in San Francisco and Vancouver. Would there be many opportunities to get work as an instructor in Sydney and what qualification is required?

- Is the wind in other parts of Oz much better than Sydney? and where would be best particularly around June/July?

- What is Bali like for wind and is July/August a good time?

- Most importantly, keen to get some suggestions on what route to take through SE Asia during August and September. Flying into Singapore and out of Bangkok. Thinking of Thailand and Vietnam, but unsure where exactly to go and if I can expect any wind at that time of year.

- Finally, as my gear is around 4 years old I'm planning to invest in newer gear and I'm wondering what to do to get the best value. Can gear be picked up any cheaper in or around HK than it would be in Oz?

Any and all comments/advice is very much appreciated.

Thanks all!

"Dont buy Drugs in Asia" as tempting as it maybe.....read the billboards in the airports

why come to the other side of the world and spend six months in a big dirty city to kite in manky water? you can stay in europe and do that.

my advice would be to go west. or to start in sydney and travel north up the east coast. wasted visit to oz otherwise...

And crap....

Bali has wind, you'll need atleast a 12mtr a surfboard and weigh less than 70kgs to experience anything other than light wind frustration... Oh yeah it's windy for like an hour a day every few weeks or so..

There is real wind in indo, but in bali kiting tends to not be worth the hassle...