The 18-year-old was one of about 100 pupils from the Christchurch boys' school visiting Dunedin yesterday for an annual winter sports exchange with Otago Boys' High School.
When the magnitude 6 earthquake hit near Christchurch at 2.20pm, the vibrations reached Dunedin soon after, and Dan was left feeling unsettled.
The last time he was in Dunedin was to compete in the school's annual summer sports exchange with OBHS in February, when Christchurch was hit by the devastating 6.3 quake.
"There's a sense of deja vu. But the good side is this time there seems to have been less damage compared with the February earthquake.
"It's frustrating. I should count myself lucky that I haven't been in Christchurch for either of the big ones, but I'm disappointed again that I'm not there to help out."
Christ's College head boy Will Utley (17) said many pupils were a little freaked out by the quake.
"It's pretty shocking - kind of strange happening again like this."
Will said the moment the quake stopped, he and many of his friends tried to call home, but phone lines were jammed and it was not until much later in the afternoon that they were able to contact loved ones in Christchurch.
"It was scary that we didn't know what was happening with our families and how they were dealing with it."
The boys were bused to Christchurch yesterday afternoon.
