But it will be a long time before he can eat another sausage or steak pie.
"The biggest health and safety issue along the way has been the pies and sausages.
"The challenge has been steak pies. They're a mistake,'' he said at Aoraki Mt Cook yesterday.
Mr Fastier, of Glenorchy, was speaking after the Expedition South team reached the end of its fundraising adventure, having left Piha, just outside Auckland, on August 23.
The drivers - Mr Fastier, Peter Hillary and Peter Scott - rode on tractors, two old Ferguson TE-20 models similar to those used by Sir Edmund Hillary to reach the South Pole in the late 1950s, and one Massey Ferguson MF5600.
The aim of the trip was to raise $1 million to fix and maintain what is known as Hillary's Hut at Scott Base, the launching pad for the Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1957-58.
The team covered 2012km - the same distance Sir Edmund and his team travelled from Scott Base to the South Pole.
Mr Fastier said about $700,000 was raised but he believed the million-dollar mark could be reached by the end of next week.
"For me Ed is a hero. One of my best [moments] in Antarctica was meeting Sir Ed. We spoke for about an hour and a-half together over a cup of tea. It was such a special moment.''
There were three main drivers on the trip, but others took turns to drive.
He said despite the close quarters throughout the trip, and the different personalities involved, everyone was still talking.
"Some nights we camped out. Sunday night was very special - we camped on the shores of Lake Pukaki. We had an open fire on the beach - a quiet time. A few beers even though we hadn't completed the trip. It's never over until the fat man sings.''
The best part of the tour, which went through cities and tiny settlements, was the people the team met, he said.
"Everyone's got a story to tell about these old tractors, Antarctica or their lives. It's been a fantastic experience.''
Robyn Mulgrew, the daughter of Peter Mulgrew, who was part of the 1958 tractor trip to the South Pole (and later died in the 1979 Erebus air disaster), said the tractor expedition was a way of opening up what a group of adventurers achieved to a new generation of New Zealanders.
Antarctic Heritage Trust executive director Nigel Watson said the tractor trip raised the profile of the hut, the 1958 expedition, and the trust.
Peter Hillary, son of Sir Edmund, said the funds raised would help maintain an important part of New Zealand's culture and link to the Antarctic.
"It's also Edmund Hillary's home in Antarctica, so a very special place to me.''
