The 17-year-old Taieri College pupil arrived at school, went to his first class as usual - and was met with a barrage of handshakes and messages of congratulations from his classmates.
''I kept wondering why people were congratulating me.''
It turned out he had scored the top mark in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands in the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) science examination, but he had intentionally been left out of the loop.
''I didn't know because everyone else was told at form time, but my form teacher didn't tell my class because he wanted it to be a big surprise for me.''
For some teenagers, being left out of the loop is the stuff of nightmares, but for Daniel, it was more than a little amusing when he was officially told of his success.
''I didn't really believe it at first.''
Sitting ICAS science exams is not new for Daniel.
He has been taking them for the past nine years and, while he has accumulated a few distinction and merit awards over the years, this was the first time he had achieved a top score, he said.
The hour-long exam contained multiple-choice questions on the earth and beyond (incorporating the earth sciences and astronomy), energy and change (incorporating physics), life and living (incorporating biology and ecology), and natural and processed materials (incorporating chemistry).
The exam assesses pupils' skills in interpreting and applying data and higher-order skills, including investigating, reasoning and problem-solving.
Daniel said he did not yet know his exact mark, but expects to find out soon.
As a result of scoring the top mark in ICAS year 13 science, he will receive the University of New South Wales Medal.
Daniel will start a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Canterbury next year.
''I love the logic behind it all, the ability to understand the way the universe works, just being able to understand how it all fits together - that's what I like about science.''
