Grant Excell was welcomed at the shore of Lake Te Anau by school staff and pupils on Wednesday after kayaking around Lake Te Anau, a distance of about 350km.
The journey was part of a fundraising drive for a new school hall.
Mr Excell said he was pleased with the experience.
"In the end of the day, the nine days were actually really, really enjoyable. I loved every minute of it.
"I certainly got a sore bottom but definitely it was well worth it."
"It was pretty incredible to see all the kids there [when he arrived] ... share the joy of be able to complete it was amazing as I’ve done this for the kids of the school."
He hoped his initiative showed pupils that they could achieve everything they wanted if they put effort into it.
"If they want to do things, they should go out there and do it. It doesn’t need to be something big and amazing — but something that bring joy and something they really wanted to do."
Mr Excell has already raised about $27,000 but said he would think about what would be the next chapter of the fundraising as the new school hall was estimated to cost between $1.2million and $2million.
He wanted to thank everyone who supported him and said the whole journey made him appreciate the special place he lived even more.
"We’re living in an amazing place and it was so good to be able to be out there and enjoy what we got right here."
