A Rotorua woman is preparing herself to swim 11.5km from Motiti Island to Maketu in a bid to raise funds for Hospice. Not only is Mariana Morrison helping the organisation but every stroke will be in memory of her mother who passed away from cancer.
Mariana Morrison is diving right in to raise public awareness to a cause she holds dear to her heart.
“My reasons for wanting to fundraise for Hospice is they supported my mum in her last stages of life and I'd like to give back to an organisation that's only 30% funded by the Government,” Morrison explains.
She's no stranger to hard work, last year she completed an ultra-marathon 100km.
Morrison says, “Ultras are pretty much for crazy people like myself who want to do more than 50km running, so my main motivation is helping other people. I think that's where my passion lies. I work with people with intellectual disabilities. I find that really rewarding, so doing stuff like this isn't out of the ordinary for myself.”
This year the descendant of Te Arawa, Ngāi Tai and Te Whakatōhea will endeavour an 11.5km open-sea swim from Motiti Island to Maketu.
“There's no donation too small or you know basically it's going towards the kaupapa,” says Morrison.
She's chosen Valentine's Day on the 14th of February to swim, and on top of fund raising she also has another mission in mind.
Morrison says, “I chose Valentine’s Day as the search for Frank Farmer continues. Now Frank Farmer is off The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner so yes.”
