"I have been training with the raft in open swims on the weekend and it seems to cut through the water really well. It is a bit of handful with a tailwind but other than that you hardly notice it."
He swims every morning before work and is feeling confident going in to the final stages before he makes his way to the lake.
"I am just keen to get out there and do it. It seems more real now and I am really pumped."
He plans to start the 85km swim on February 8 and expects it will take seven to ten days to complete.
"This builds some contingency into my plans in the likely event that the weather turns sour for a period of time and I end up spending a day or two not being able to swim."
Mr McKibbin said donations on his Give a Little page were going well but there was room for more.
"I have had people from all walks of life donate so far, it is really cool to no there is support around."
He is also being sponsored by Opus International Consultants, Speed Swimwear, Back Country Cuisine, Taupo PLB Hire and Fastlane Fitness.
U-Turn Trust ambassador Henare O'Keefe is rallying the troops together in support of Mr McKibbin so there are people cheering him on at both the start and finish line.
"I do hope others will join us in sending this courageous man off, on what is truly a Herculean undertaking."
To donate go to his Givealittle page: Lakewaikaremoanachallenge2017 or follow the journey through his Facebook page: Lake Waikaremoana Challenge 2017.