Fond words for a top New Zealand kayaker who's lost her life on the water.

The body of 26-year-old Rotorua teacher Louise Jull was discovered yesterday after she went missing while paddling on Wednesday night.

Police and rafters searching the river retrieved her body at 10am yesterday.

Canoe Slalom New Zealand spokeswoman Sue Clarke says the news is devastating.

"There's a lot of very, very upset people. She was very well loved, she was full of fun."

"She was doing what she loved."

Her parents Adrian and Liz Jull and siblings say she was a white water and extreme kayaker of international reputation.

They says one of her legacies will be the pleasure she took in teaching young kayakers.