Max Cameron expects he is in for a bit of a shock when he goes to Japan later this year.
The 17-year-old John McGlashan College boarder is from a farm in Hyde, and has just been selected as part of a team of four New Zealand secondary school pupils to represent the nation at the International Geography Olympiad in Japan.
''I'm in for a bit of a shock. This will be my first time in Japan. I'm a big fan of mutton chops and potatoes, being from a farm, so I think I'll have to start getting used to sushi.''
Less of a worry will be the olympiad in Kyoto, he said.
While there, he will compete against teams from 34 countries in a written test, a multimedia test, and a field work test, which will include his having to map a determined area.
''It's going to be a real challenge over there. The knowledge and skills it requires will be a huge step up from what we learn at school, but I'm ready for it,'' Max reckoned.
Max explained he had been well prepared, and given New Zealand's success in previous International Geography Olympiads, he was maintaining his confidence.
In the most recent olympiad in Cologne, the 2012 New Zealand team was ranked fourth overall, gaining two silver and two bronze medals.
Max said he was encouraged to enter the International Geography Olympiad essay competition by a teacher, and from there he was selected to go to Wellington where he was successful after a selection process for the New Zealand team.
He will be joined by Isaac Severinsen (Otumoetai College), Rock Steele (Takapuna Grammar School) and Brittany Vining (Palmerston North Girls' High School).
Max said he hoped to study surveying or geography at the University of Otago next year.
''I'm from a farm, so I'm naturally interested in the land.''
