Bruce Paige (70), of Luggate, was not able to be contacted, but his friend Geoff Taylor said he had recovered from his chilly ordeal.
Mr Black met Mr Paige yesterday to discuss the incident.
"He is very thankful to be rescued and is offering to pay," Mr Black said.
Mr Black said Mr Paige was a fit person and thought he was capable of kayaking in the river.
"But I don't think he realised how close he was to being dead . . . He is really appreciative and he's going round to personally thank them [the rescuers] and St John," Mr Black said.
Despite holding concerns about Mr Paige's trip, Wanaka's marine search and rescue team have been on cloud nine all weekend after the text-book rescue in dangerous conditions, just on twilight.
It was completed just 39 minutes from the time a 111 call was made.
Mr Spencer Bower said he put a rope and D-shackle in his helicopter before he left to search the river, just in case he saw Mr Paige.
Mr Spencer Bower is a helicopter instructor and regarded as New Zealand's most experienced Robinson 22 pilot.
Marine volunteer search and rescue team co-ordinator Jim Talboys said the "first response team" of helicopter and jet-boat had saved Mr Paige's life.
Mr Paige and the community were fortunate there were local people with the skills, resources and training to respond quickly, without waiting for helicopters from Queenstown or Dunedin, Mr Talboys said.
"I have seen quick responses before. I had 35 years of rescue work experience in the Hauraki Gulf. But for this to work so well with no hiccups in it was just superb . . . Even if the helicopter couldn't have got the rope to him, he would have been retrieved by the jet-boat."
Mr Black said Mr Paige's journey began at Dublin Bay on Lake Wanaka about 1pm on Friday.
He first fell out of his short, plastic, rudderless, recreational kayak at the Clutha River Outlet.
He was wearing a wetsuit and older-style polystyrene life jacket.
Mr Paige was tipped out again behind Wanaka Airport, several kilometres above the Luggate Red Bridge.
Mr Taylor lives near the river at Luggate and was standing on the bank at 4.30pm, when he saw his friend float past under the red bridge, clinging to his kayak.
Mr Taylor made the 111 call.
"I had only been down there for about a minute and a-half," Mr Taylor said.
By the time Mr Spencer-Bower saw him, he was well past the eddies and whirlpools at The Nook and passing by a new housing subdivision and vineyard near Maori Point.
Lakeland Adventures jet-boat drivers Craig Blake and James Blunt were very close behind the helicopter, after a bumpy and fast ride from Albert Town.
They got there while Mr Paige was being hauled in and continued another 1km down the river to retrieve the kayak.
Senior jet-boat driver and driver trainer Craig Blake said he was surprised Mr Paige was not going round in circles at The Nook whirlpool.
On Friday, the flood alert was in place and the river flowing at 647cumecs.
