The opening salvos of the Paris Olympics sprint kayaking programme have gone exactly to plan for the highly touted Kiwis, but paddling legend Dame Lisa Carrington warns there's plenty of water left to pass under the bow.
Carrington occupied the front seats, as the NZ contingent cruised to victories in their respective K4 and K2 heats, signalling to their rivals that they will be as tough to beat at Vaires sur Marine Nautical Stadium as the rowers and slalom specialists were before them.
Firstly, the world champion four of Carrington, Alicia Hoskin, and Olympic debutants Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan headed off rivals Spain and Poland to ease straight into the final, looking menacing in their all-black ensemble.
A ltitle later, Carrington and Hoskin returned to the water to stamp their mark on the K2 500 that the former won at Tokyo three years ago with Caitlin Regal. New partner, same result, as they accounted for Hungary to earn passage into the semis.
The NZ foursome are reigning world champions (Source: SKY)
They didn't have it all their own way though, with Germany marginally faster in the big boat, while two Polish teams, Sweden, Germany and Hungary are all quicker in the two-seat format.
Still, conditions account for a lot and this was a day of changeable circumstances.
In her fourth Games and with five Olympic golds already under her belt, Dame Lisa seemed very relaxed that her squad had done their job early.
"This is day one of five, so the nerves coming into today were pretty high and we know this is our biggest stage," Dame Lisa Carrington told Sky Sport.
"We're not going to diminish how important this is for us. At the moment, we're really stoked that we've managed to do the job so far... we still have four more days."
After their world title at Duisberg last year, Carrington credited her K4 buddies for teaching her how to function in a team environment and that was very much the chorus, with another arduous schedule stretching before her.
Lisa Carrington and Alicia Hoskin win their Olympic K2 heat. (Source: Associated Press)
"We're putting a lot of trust in the preparation we've done," echoed Hoskin. "We trust the work we've done, we trust our team members... the other girls in the K4.
"It takes all of us to race three races this week. Even when Lisa is in the K1, we're doing the preparation for the next races and cheering for Lisa.
"It really is a team effort. Getting the first day done is a good step, we'll continue to learn and grow and challenge ourselves."
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Ultimately, Carrington's main opposition for her individual supremacy may come from within her own team, where rival Aimee Fisher clocked a world's fastest time this year, while enjoying a competitive edge over the champion.
Fisher's Olympic debut also came in the K2, where she teamed with newcomer Lucy Matehaere. Their inexperience in this boat at this level was exposed and they were consigned to the scenic route to the semis, via quarterfinals.
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