The Rotorua white-water community is in mourning after the loss of international kayaker Louise Jull.
The 26-year-old woman was found by a search-and-rescue team yesterday morning in the Kaituna River.
She was reported missing to police on Wednesday night and was part of a group of three paddling downstream of the Trout Pool when she became separated from them near Okere Falls. The alarm was raised and a number of locals began the search until dark.
Ms Jull was a Western Heights High School teacher and had competed at an international level in white-water kayaking. She had recently won the Kaituna and Wairoa extreme kayaking women's section.
Her parents, Adrian and Liz Jull, along with her older siblings Malcolm, Heather and Isobelle, paid tribute to her in a statement released by police.
"Louise was a white-water and extreme kayaker of international reputation," they said. "The 2015 Kaituna and Wairoa extreme kayaking women's section was won by Louise and a second place was gained in the Citroen race in Otago just recently.
"She lived at Okere Falls and enjoyed the opportunities for kayaking that Lake Rotoiti and the Kaituna River provided."
She was a well-respected, integral part of the Okere Falls, and indeed New Zealand, kayak community, her family said.
"Early kayaking days were focused on white-water slalom kayaking in which Louise represented New Zealand internationally.
"A positive role model for women in sport and a strong advocate for women in kayaking, Louise had started on a career in secondary teaching at a local Rotorua high school this year."
Her family said teaching young paddlers was an extra activity that Ms Jull took great pleasure in.
"This will be one of her legacies to kayaking. Yesterday, Louise was paddling a lower section of the Kaituna River that she had paddled a number of times without mishap."
They said the incident was a chance accident involving a highly skilled paddler practising her sport.
"The two paddlers with her were very experienced, but despite their efforts they were unable to retrieve the situation.
"The family acknowledges a deep gratitude to the two other paddlers and to the wider community who turned out to assist in the search and rescue this morning," they said.
Ms Jull's death has been referred to the Coroner.
Yesterday, more than 20 people were based at the car park on Trout Pool Rd and were seen comforting each other as news of her death reached them. A vigil had been in place since Wednesday and local residents and friends regularly dropped food off to those who were standing by.
Police, professional rafters, police rafters, LandSAR volunteers, local residents and friends of the missing woman helped in the search. Those who took part included Kaitiaki Adventure staff.
"She was a good friend of some of our rafters who volunteered their own time and effort to assist her and her family," a Kaitiaki spokesman said. "This definitely does have an effect on all of us ... the river community is quite close."
New Zealand slalom coach and Rotorua resident Aaron Osbourne said she was well-liked by everyone who knew her. "She had such a bubbly personality, always smiling, always enjoying herself."
"It's a pretty big tragedy for all of us because she had such a big personality."
She was part of the Waiariki Institute of Technology sports academy and manager Sam Thompson remembered her positive attitude. He said she was part of the academy from 2011 to 2012.
"We've kept in touch over the years. She was always positive and outgoing, that was one of main things about her. Both her and Luuka [Jones] were training full-time towards the Olympics in 2012 and it was pretty full on the travelling overseas, the money and time put into it, so she had massive dedication to that," Mr Thompson said. "She was probably the most-liked person around just because of her personality."
Taheke 8C General Manager Sandra Eru on behalf of the Committee of Management and owners who are mana whenua said that following discussion with kaumatua a rahui would not be put in place as the body had been recovered and the area cleared.