Six months ago, Hunt was just contemplating a bit of study, a holiday and getting ready for the club season with University.
Now he finds himself knee deep in the professional game, running out in front of thousands of fans and mixing with some of the game's greats.
It is part of a trend for Hunt, who not for the first time has come from the back of the field to make an impact.
Hunt (22) said it had all happened quickly.
''If I was thinking about last year I would not at all [have] thought I would be in here. But I'm really enjoying it,'' Hunt said.
''I was just expecting to come into the Varsity set-up. But with all the injuries I have managed to get a chance. I have trained in the pre-season with them, so that really helped.''
Hunt has benefited from openside flankers dropping like flies in the Highlanders set-up.
Dan Pryor badly injured his knee in last year's Mitre 10 Cup and has yet to be sighted. He is scheduled to get back on the field at the end of the month. Shane Christie has picked up a mystery illness which means he is unable to train under with intensity, while James Lentjes dislocated his elbow in the second game and is still in cotton wool.
All those injuries have been a bonus for Hunt, who made his Super Rugby debut coming off the bench against the Blues at Eden Park on March 11.
''I'm loving it; it is pretty cool. But the pre-season definitely helped. Got me ready for it. If I missed out on that it would have been different.
''They say here 'train to make the games easy', so training is actually harder than games.''
His debut at Eden Park went pretty fast.
''I got about 15 minutes and when I came on I was just thinking about doing the job. The boys say it is an eight-second process, so I was just thinking about doing the next eight seconds.''
Since then he has started the next four games, getting through plenty of action and helping the Highlanders back into the winning circle. He has now played as many games (five) for the southern franchise as he has for Otago.
Hunt hails from the North Shore and went to Westlake Boys' High School before heading to the University of Otago. Rugby, though, has taken over a bit.
''I came down here for study five years ago. I'm doing surveying and I've got five papers to go. It can be tough to balance everything with rugby and study. You've just got to fit it in.''
Hunt's ride into the Highlanders is all the more surprising because when he first arrived in Dunedin he took a while to get noticed. His first year was with the University Gold colts team - the second team for the University club, which plays in the junior colts grade. Most top players in the first year for the University club turn out for the more prestigious University Blue colts team.
''I came down a bit late and ended up in the Golds. But we ended up having quite a good year. Good, open footy and had a lot of fun. I went into the As the year after that.''
Hunt is a long way from colts rugby now, but the role he plays is not too different.
''It is still the same job but I guess there is a bit more to it with game plan and that.
''But at the end of the day you just go out there and make the tackles and clean out rucks.''