Every year on White Ribbon Day, November 25, a group of Tauranga locals climb Mauao to commemorate British backpacker Monica Cantwell.

This year, they are inviting anyone who wishes to join them for the informal memorial service held near the summit.

Monica Cantwell's memorial rock is located on the northern side of the mountain's summit.

Cantwell, who grew up in the Surrey village of Lingfield, was one week into a trip to New Zealand when, on November 20, 1989, she was attacked while walking the northern summit track on Mauao.

She was raped and strangled, and her body was discovered three days later after friends reported her missing. She had been travelling through Australia for 10 months before arriving in New Zealand.

This year marks 36 years since her murder.

Monica Cantwell's memorial plaque on Mauao. Photo / Supplied

Tauranga Moana iwi leader Buddy Mikaere, who regularly walks to the summit and reflects on Cantwell’s death, said what happened to her was “heartbreaking”.

“I’m so disappointed that a visitor from overseas to our place was treated like that,” he said.

“They should have every right to be safe, particularly at the top of our sacred maunga — but she wasn’t. I think every father with a child travelling overseas should be able to have that assurance.”

Cantwell’s killer, Charles John Coulam, was arrested a month after the murder and later sentenced for the crime.

Monica Cantwell's memorial has two pōhutukawa trees and mamuka nearby. Photo / John Borren

Every White Ribbon Day, Mikaere and others gather at Cantwell’s memorial plaque, located near the summit, to remember her. The plaque was dedicated by the now-defunct Altrusa Club along with Tauranga City Council, and it has become the focal point for the annual service.

Mikaere said the gathering is not just about reflecting on the tragedy, but also about raising awareness of violence against women.

White Ribbon Day began in 1991 as an international campaign where people wear a white ribbon to show they do not condone violence towards women.

Buddy Mikaere has raised hundreds of dollars for Tauranga's Women's Refuge. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford

More than a decade ago, Mikaere initiated a dawn ceremony on Mauao to honour Cantwell.

“I’ve been doing it since I came back to live in Tauranga in 2011,” he said. “It’s getting bigger every year, which is quite amazing.”

Participants make their own way up the maunga, usually leaving from the Pilot Bay boat ramp in time to reach the summit by 7.30am.

For those unable to walk, Mikaere said the ranger can provide limited four-wheel-drive transport to the top.

British backpacker Monica Cantwell was killed on Mauao 36 years ago. Photo / Supplied

The commemoration typically runs from 7.30am to 8am, followed by coffee at a cafe near the base of Mauao, where a collection is taken for Women’s Refuge.

This year’s guest speaker is Pete Blackwell, a police officer involved in the case at the time.

“He came up last year and said he was very moved by it,” Mikaere said.

People are welcome to bring flowers to lay at the plaque.

The memorial service will be held on White Ribbon Day, November 25, at 7.30am on the summit of Mauao.