Tauranga-born Tish McNicol and two of her fellow Otago University mates are preparing to travel across Europe with only 24 cans of Red Bull as their currency.
The 21-year-old and brother and sister combo Chessie and Finn Henry are the only Australasian team chosen to take part in the "Red Bull Can You Make It?" competition, which pits 100 university teams from 27 countries against each other in a race from London to Berlin.
Tish McNicol, whose parents Caroline and Ken and 15-year-old sister Amber live in Tauranga, said "excitement went through the roof" when she and her friends learned their short video entry lodged a day before the cut-off date had been successful.
"It is so exciting. We are all so amped and still can't believe we're flying to London next week. Now, it's a mad scramble to rearrange our tertiary studies," she said.
Ms McNicol is in her fourth and final year of a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in management and minoring in psychology.