Michael G Petterson is currently Professor of Geology, School of Science, and Pro Vice Chancellor / Dean of the Faculty of Health and Environmental Science, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. Michael first researched into aspects of the Himalayan geology for his PhD at the Department of Geology, University of Leicester, UK, researching the geology, petrology, geochemistry, age, and structure of the Kohistan batholith, and Arc, North Pakistan. This work, together with collaborations with other Himalayan researchers, led to numerous publications, perhaps most importantly defining the structure and deformation, lithological character, and age span of the Kohistan-Ladakh batholith, developing the idea of different magmatic stages, tectonic environments, and magmatic source regions. Subsequently, working with the British Geological Survey, Professor Petterson researched and published geological aspects of the Kohistan and Afghanistan regions of the Himalayas, with a focus upon crustal terrane accretion (in Afghanistan) and the palaeo-eruptive and tectonic environment of Kohistan-Ladakh volcanic sequences. Michael has also published two comprehensive review papers on aspects of the Kohistan-Ladakh batholith and related volcanic units. Professor Petterson often accompanies his field excursions with his trusty guitar, jamming with locals, and organising singing get togethers: one memorable evening was around an outdoor open fire along with twenty fellow troubadours, and his partner, Lanka Nanayakarra, at 10pm on an extremely cold minus twenty degrees Centigrade evening, by the banks of the mighty River Indus in Ladakh. Adventures such as this inform Michael’s songwriting with his band ‘Strata’ and related blues-rock-acoustic groups.