Testimonials

“Peter is an experienced historian who has an intimate knowledge of the Northern War sites. We have known each other for decades and have worked together on various projects. I thoroughly recommend him as a friendly, resourceful and helpful person who can guide you through the fascinating stories and places in the region that is the birthplace of our country. A tour not to be missed.” 

— Lt Col Cliff Simons, Director the Army War Studies Center and author of “Soldiers, Scouts and Spies: A Military history of the NZ Wars”

“Peter’s knowledge of NZ’s early history and events within the North is truly extensive. This depth of knowledge is brought alive by his humour and ability to capture his audience, delivering stories about the past that show history is anything but mundane. The students of Mahurangi College found his tours worthwhile to further their studies as he was able to tune into their interests and answer their questions with ease. I would recommend Peter to anybody who wants to have the past come alive!”

— Marsha Stimson, Head of History, Mahurangi College

“My senior group of students and I really enjoyed our tours of the Northern War sites. Peter provides excellent leadership of these tours in that he fully engages with all members of the group. Everything is well organised, and flows smoothly. Peter’s humour and engaging way of imparting information from an expert knowledge base makes the experience real and relevant, and keeps the group fully involved.  Very valuable and enjoyable field trips.”

— Judith Hollyer, ex Head of History, Mahurangi College

“I found the trip to the northern battlefields with Peter to be one of the most positive learning experiences in my long association with education. His insight, great depth of knowledge, humour, and the ability and the right to speak from multiple camps – Māori/Pakeha, military/civilian – make Peter the ultimate tour leader for such a trip. This brief investigation should appeal to the casually interested observer and the serious student of history. I sincerely recommend this tour to the northern battlefields.”

— Peter Glover, retired high school teacher

“I accompanied Peter on one of his northern war battle sites tours. I found the tour very interesting and informative. Peter’s commentary on the relevance of these early conflicts with Northland today were particularly illuminating. Having taught this history topic to senior secondary students for many years, Peter’s grasp of the subject is extensive and enthusiastic. I thoroughly recommend this tour.”

— Rick O’Flaherty, Warkworth businessman

“Brilliant tour! Loved it! Peter makes this era come alive  and standing on these historic spots you can almost relive these moments in time. The beautiful scenery and his sense of humour are bonuses! ”

— Briar McCallum, sales rep

“ Without a doubt, the most enjoyable and meaningful tour I’ve ever done…we’ve never had so much fun, nor learned so much on a tour…an experience so insightful and immersive, you’ll feel transported back to when it happened…fun, informative, interesting, and all through the most amazing scenery…stories told with  passion and knowledge, you can’t help but get caught up in it…whether you are a history nut or not, a local or a visitor, I can’t recommend it enough….whoever thought we had such rich history right on our doorstep? Truly entertaining and an invaluable experience…an amazing blend of sightseeing, history lesson, and tour experience; absolutely worth it…he’s a teacher, tour guide, story teller and time traveler all rolled into one ”

— Collective student comments

“For an exceptional experience and the reality of what life was like for Māori and Pakeha in these formative NZ times..do this tour! You will be surprised! This is a portrait of a nation’s birth told by an expert in his field. Peter is retired NZ Army officer with an MA in history. He is whakapapa’s to Ngati kuri and Te Aupouri so the factual account of battles won and lost are unbiased and complete. So much more than’ historical lectures,’ Peter’s humour is a constant that makes this tour fascinating and enjoyable – for everyone.”

— Dale Alderson, Farmer