Waitaha elder Rangi Te Maiharoa and his son, Shane, built the mokihi, which was launched at the Kurow bridges on Saturday morning.
The traditional form of transport was used by the Waitaha people on the Waitaki River for hundreds of years.
The mokihi left about 8.40am, and the crew later rotated with Katarina Te Maiharoa.
It arrived at Bortons Pond at 1.20pm that afternoon - "a world record for a mokihi that we're aware of", Mr Parker quipped - before leaving again at 10.30am yesterday, once fog and mist had cleared.
The journey ended about 2.30pm at Te Maiharoa Rd on the north bank, about 1km before the Waitaki River bridge.
Mr Parker was "astounded" the mokihi was very stable and manoeuvrable.
Its performance was "way better" than expected.
The mokihi, which was destined for the Kurow Museum, sustained no damage.
Rangi Te Maiharoa said it was a special occasion for Waitaha, while Anne Te Maiharoa-Dodds gave a blessing prior to its launch.
