I'll have a sh1tload of time off from end of March 2014 until the end of June 2014 and want to plan some overseas visits.

I love NZ, but have never been there for anything but skiing and climbing. What is the coastline like for kiting? Is the wind any good that time of the year for some consistent kiting fun? I was thinking about hiring a big camper and just spending a few months bumming around.

The other option was to fly into northern Italy, follow the Mediterranean coast down across southern France and into Spain, then across to Portugal and spend a while there. With the possibility of ducking over to Morocco and getting down to Dakhla for a week or two. Wind charts for the areas look good around that time of the year.

I would prefer a more relaxing NZ trip in a camper, but my girlfriend seems to prefer the Europe / Morocco idea for all the little quaint girly things she can do like look at fountains and buying clothes... But in the end I'll just go where the surf and wind is for that time of the year...

Hey kiter-monkeys!

I'm planning a trip to Morocco (Essaouira) May/June and would appreciate any advice or yarns from anyone who's been kiting there. In particular:

- Is it an ok place for a beginner? (How much variety in locations/kiting space would I have? Is it a difficult place to launch/land alone?)

- What are the local shops like? (for gear hire, lessons etc)

- If there's no wind, how much other sport-related entertainment would there be around Essaouira to keep me from going postal?

- Are the good wind conditions for Essaouira similar to those for Dakhla?

I'd love to hear about anyone's experiences there, thanks!