Stories about studying at the University of Otago and trips to Dunedin have filled Priyaanka Khatri's life. Now, the first-year student is ready to call the city home.
The New Plymouth 18-year-old moved into St Margaret's College last week, following in the footsteps of her parents Pramod and Farah.
She will study law and commerce and will be the first returning child of two parents under the same warden at the college.
Otago was her first choice, partly because of tradition, but "also I've been here so many times and I love it", she said.
The family made annual trips to Dunedin, on their way to ski in Queenstown, and Miss Khatri enjoyed hearing stories about her parents' days there.
"I like how the whole town is centred around the university and it's basically a student town.
It's good for partying and it's good for studying - an all-round lifestyle.
"I just really want to throw myself into student life, meet new people and make new friends, and do really well in my degree. I'm just really excited to get going and I can't wait to see how the year pans out," she said.
There were no qualms about moving away from her family as she had "quite a few friends" studying at Otago, and a cousin living at the college.
She had heard great things about the university before registering, not just from her parents who had "such a good time", but from others who "didn't want to leave and had withdrawal issues".
Mr Khatri and Dr Deobhakta started at Otago in 1981, studying commerce and home science respectively. She went on to study medicine, and he a master of business administration.
The couple stayed at Arana Hall before moving to St Margaret's the following year.
"After we got married, we rented St Margaret's apartment on Clyde St. When the kids said they wanted to come to this university, we totally encouraged them because we felt we benefited from the student lifestyle," Dr Deobhakta said.
Their thoughts on the city and university had not been changed by unrest in the student quarter in recent years.
"It happens everywhere and even in our time. What we liked about St Margaret's was the setup they have and it's really geared for kids who really want to succeed," Mr Khatri said.
