At Whakahoro Mr Bee was met by wife Fiona and two children Lara and Oscar with time for a cuddle and a much-needed shoulder rub, and then he was off on the second leg to run to Kaiwhakauka.
But the transition from kayak to the run was a brutal 16km, three-hour climb to the summit. "My legs weren't talking to me. It was really hot and an endless climb and we wondered if we had taken the wrong turning."
Mr Bee, 35, was joined on the run by Chris Teasdale.
His right foot started to pack up, which Mr Bree said was probably due to his feet being in a permanent stress position in the kayak working the rudder. "It felt like I was running on glass," which slowed him down from a run to a "zombie shuffle".
Just when the pair started to despair about whether they were on the right track, they reached the summit.
It was another 4 hours along the track to the Mangapurua Landing on the Whanganui River.
With just an hour of daylight left and a 3-4 hour kayak paddle to Pipiriki, Mr Bee jumped aboard one of the jet boats. "It was the sensible thing to do. If I had got into trouble in the water in the dark, it would have compromised everybody."
Mr Bee has been involved with Cure Kids for two years now and has raised $2500 for the project. "I have two healthy kids, but you never know when you might need help. I would like the funds to go into research.
"The challenges I face out on my runs are nothing compared to challenges experienced by children living with life-threatening conditions."