O'Hara (31) was at the official opening of New Zealand's first constructed whitewater park, on the Hawea River, on Saturday. The opening coincided with the National Kayak Freestyle Championships, also held at the park over the weekend.
She helped judge the event, which attracted more than 60 competitors, and was impressed by the talent on display and the quality of the park, which was a ''fantastic resource'' for paddlers and the wider community.
O'Hara is in New Zealand to train on the Kaituna River, near Rotorua, for the world championships in September, and had rearranged her trip to enable her to attend the opening of the park and the national freestyle competition.
The trip to New Zealand was her first, but would not be her last.
''It's been at the top of my list of venues I've wanted to come to for years because it's renowned for whitewater ... It's living up to every expectation and more, especially with the addition of this new course,'' she said on Saturday.
The whitewater park has been jointly developed on the Hawea River by Contact, Central Otago Whitewater (Cow) and Whitewater NZ, as part of Contact's multimillion-dollar package of mitigation work relating to the renewal of its resource consents to operate on the Clutha.
Contact has funded the project as the key part of an agreement which addresses issues specific to kayak users relating to impacts on recreation as a result of damming the Hawea and Clutha Rivers to generate electricity in the Clutha hydro scheme.
The park was designed by one of the world's premier whitewater park designers and three-time Olympian, Scott Shipley, and was constructed by Fulton Hogan.
Contact's hydro generation manager Graham Quinn said the park would help put Hawea on the world map for kayaking and increase visitor numbers to the area.
Cow representative Gordon Rayner said the park was designed to be used for whitewater kayaking, but because it is a public space available for general use, Whitewater NZ and Cow have urged all users to be aware of the risks involved.
''When using these whitewater features we ask that people do not swim or surf alone, that they use basic water safety precautions such as wearing life jackets and crash helmets, and it is critical that parents ensure their children are supervised at all times,'' Mr Rayner said.
