In 1964, Mr Porter, then a senior pupil from Painesville, Ohio, was the first American Field Scholarship (AFS) exchange pupil at Otago Boys High School.
Before leaving the United States he had no idea where New Zealand was and visited a library to consult an atlas.
Once in Dunedin, he experienced "culture shock''. The traditional atmosphere at Otago Boys contrasted greatly with Riverside High, which he attended. It was a co-educational school where pupils were not required to wear uniform.
Academic values were also different, and while he had studied social studies and geography to a higher level in the US, even junior pupils here had covered more of the chemistry and mathematics curriculums.
Mr Porter tried cricket and rugby, and was proud to have scored a try for the school's second XV.
But, he was more at home on the basketball court and played alongside Carl Dickel, who later coached national women's and Tall Blacks basketball teams.
On his return to the United States, his friends were most envious of his cultural experiences, especially his seeing the Beatles at the Dunedin Town Hall, before the band's US tour.
Mr Porter spent time as a sea cadet here and the experience led to a lasting interest in sailing.
He later joined the US Navy, and worked as an optometrist on various naval bases.
Mr Porter was a guest of Neill Baker (now a senior teacher at Otago Boys), and his family at their home.
Mr Baker's father, Reg, was an optician, and Mr Porter remembers visiting his workplace.
Mr Baker said the experience also benefited his family.
"New Zealand was pretty isolated in the 1960s, and the exchange was a very important eye-opener for me. Meeting Michael really did broaden my horizons,'' Mr Baker said.
After following an All Black tour in the early 1970s, Mr Baker detoured to the US and stayed with Mr Porter and his family.
The pair still corresponded regularly.
During his visit, he will present a placard from "Flo's Tuck Shop'', a store which used to stand on the corner of Cargill and Arthur Sts, to the school's museum. Mr Porter previously took the placard, which is covered in "period'' graffiti, to the US.
