Hawkins was able to cover 57km on the first day thanks to the low river rapids.
However, the rocks tore up Hawkins’ hands, making the second half of the day’s paddle excruciating.
“By the end of that I was well poked, the furthest I’d ever paddled before that was 13km so it was definitely a hard day,” he said.
Some slippery locals added to the pain later in the first day.
“Because you pee in your wetsuit, the eels came out in the dark and started attacking me and my board just as I got to Whakahoro, so that was pretty gnarly.”
Over the next five days, Hawkins had to deal with rats eating his food, body sores and missed food drops.
Headwinds and heavy rain also challenged Hawkins.
He split his days into two, stopping for a quick feed with some Kiwi classics.
“I would sit there and have a real quick snack, I’d just have some Jack Links Jerky and a peanut slab - Kiwi as,” he said.
The feeling immediately after finishing was “very strange” and it took the words of those around him to realise what he had achieved, he said.
Hawkins was keen to donate his custom-made surfboard to be displayed in the Whanganui Regional Museum as a constant reminder about mental health.
He said his achievement had only enhanced his passion for mental health and he wanted to pursue a role in that area.
“It has definitely inspired a lot of people and I’ve gotten a lot of feedback about it,” Hawkins said.
“I want to help support companies like I Am Hope [Foundation] and try to be proactive with mental health instead of reactive.
“I want to help the younger generations to be more open and learn younger so they don’t have these issues later on and spend all these years trying to bottle it up.”
Hawkins’ fundraiser for I Am Hope has raised $4600 so far and is still available through his Givealittle page.
