Photo: BEN STANSALL
It'll be her second Olympics after claiming a bronze medal at Rio in 2016.
Meanwhile, 800km away in Marseille, her partner Lukas Walton-Keim began his kite-foiling races overnight.
Eliza McCartney told RNZ Olympics reporter, Barry Guy, it was surreal being back at the Games at the same time as her partner.
"I feel really good about how we are going to be able to stay in touch and support each other without having to get too emotionally invested in what the other person is going through because that's a really really hard thing.
"We weren't really sure how we were going to go about it to be honest but I feel good about what we're doing. I think we're going to be able to support each other really well despite him being far away and both of us needing to be focused on our own thing."
Partners Eliza McCartney and Lukas Walton-Keim will compete in Paris 24 hours apart. Photo: Lynne Cameron, www.photosport.nz / NZ Olympic Commitee
Walton-Keim was named to compete at the Paris Olympics after he appealed his initial non-nomination at the Sports Tribunal which then ordered Yahting New Zealand to revisit its selection process.
NZ pole vaulter Eliza McCartney begins Olympic campaign
Good distractions were important but both knew they would be there for each other even if they weren't both based in the Games Village.
"It's a bit of a dream come true, wasn't quite sure it would happen but here we are and it's very cool."
McCartney will follow her partner via the live tracking app coverage but on competition day she becomes "insular and tunnel-visioned".
She said the qualifying day must be approached with respect for the entire field.
"Things are lining up nicely so I just need to be focused and set myself up for some big jumps."