Omaramutu Marae is a Maori tribal homeland near Opotiki, New Zealand. Canyon Calling’s Fiji – New Zealand tour groups have stayed overnight at Omaramutu more than a dozen times since the first trip in 1999. On a recent trip, host Petera Hudson took us on a tour of their brand new commercial kitchen. He told us all the appliances and new fixtures and fittings were all purchased with the money that Canyon Calling had bought into the marae. Then he pointed out the new floor in the large dining hall and said that also was from Canyon Calling’s visits. Petera’s mother Martha told Cheryl that she’d been saving the donations Cheryl had given her each visit and bought all the beautiful Maori costumes the children now wear when they perform. “Remember when they only had their school uniforms to dance in?”she said. The boys looked very proud performing the haka in their traditional flax skirts and the girls were dancing with poi’s in their native dress with the customary red, black and white designs. Martha said they even won a recent competition and they wouldn’t have been able to enter without traditional dress.
Generous Adventures auction trips to make the world a better place to live. Canyon Calling donated an Arizona Spectacular trip for 2005 worth $1695. The winning bid on this trip was made by Karen Bergstrom of California. The proceeds of her bid went to Karen's choice, Breast Cancer Research.
Cheryl was the past President of the Sedona Chapter of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners). She donated a Utah Canyonlands trip worth $1695 to a raffle at their Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards luncheon on May 12, 2005. The proceeds of the raffle went to help businesswomen in Asia whose businesses were destroyed in the tsunami.
On our Magic Morocco trips we bring duffle bags of winter clothes, toothbrushes and school supplies to Berber families in the village where we overnight in the High Atlas. We always have medical folks in our party and they are happy to help out when they see villagers obviously in need of medical attention as we see in this photo.
