Travel book review: Gallipoli

A war memorial erected by Turkey at Canakkle near Gallipoli is one of the features at the historic World War I battlefield. Photo / Creative Commons image by Flickr user David Pedler

"Every year, in April, the rough slopes of Gallipoli draw young New Zealanders in their hundreds.

"In what has become something of a rite of passage during their OE, they spend the night near Anzac Cove, attend the dawn ceremony at the commemorative site and stand on the beach where the New Zealand and Australian troops came ashore on April 25 1915."

And so, it begins.

The quintessential guide book for the scene of New Zealand's most significant war effort covers everything you need to know about the Gallipoli Peninsula and is a must for anyone going to the 2015 centenary.

I'm sceptical when it comes to guidebooks.

I always feel so many basic questions are left unanswered and it frustrates me.

But Gallipoli leaves no stone unturned when it comes to information.

Ian MacGibbon first published this book for the 90th anniversary of the Anzac effort at Gallipoli, and then revised it for this year's centenary.

For anyone going over, or considering a visit in the future, the book is a great mix of history and travel.

MacGibbon is a master at condensing war history into succinct and interesting chunks throughout the book, and he immerses that information among maps and photos that enable the reader to get a realistic sense of the area and what it means and has to offer.

The first chapter is a historical chronological sequence of sites, enabling travellers to visit battlefields in order of their significance to New Zealanders who fought on the Peninsula.

It is also packed with tips for people trying to find the graves of fallen relatives, transport to and from the closest cities in Turkey to the Peninsula or places to stay based on whether you want simple local accommodation or slightly more sophisticated digs on the mainland.

What to see in terms of the main battlefields, monuments and memorials, cemeteries and museums is also extremely well documented, and there is good information on local weather around Anzac Day and the terrain and hazards visitors will face - including wild pigs and snakes.

A fascinating feature of the book that MacGibbon has done brilliantly is the maps and first-person descriptions of the battlefields from troops, journalists and war correspondents.

All of these elements help the reader and would-be traveller build a real sense of what life was like on the front line and beyond.

Another thing lacking in many area-specific guidebooks is up-to-date information about local tour guides.

MacGibbon does this well, listing tour operators and guides who can take you where you want to go - as well as giving phone numbers and websites.

There are so many books about Gallipoli and the must-dos, to-dos and what happened heres. But MacGibbon, a six-time Gallipoli visitor, really knows his stuff.

His insight into the area and why it's so important to Kiwi travellers is educating and compelling - and it's brief, which makes Gallipoli an essential and enjoyable read for Kiwis heading off on the Anzac trail.

Gallipoli - A guide to New Zealand Battlefields and Memorials
Publisher: Penguin
Author: Ian McGibbon
RRP: $25