Grace Millane's mother has spoken out about her mission to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in honour of her daughter and late Husband David.
"I climb mountains most of my days anyway mentally, so why not climb a real one? So that's what I decided to do," she told Newshub.
The murder of Gillian Millane's daughter, Grace, sparked international news after the British tourist disappeared in December 2018 while in Auckland on her OE.
Her body was found in bush in the Waitākere Ranges a week after she was last seen at a central Auckland hotel. A 27-year-old man - who had been seen on CCTV footage entering an Auckland hotel with Millane - was found guilty in November 2019 and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years.
But just two years later, her family suffered another tragedy when Grace's father, David, died of cancer in 2020.
Gillian Millane told Newshub the decision to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in honour of her daughter and her husband is a deeply personal journey, saying it helps her get out of bed every day.
Gillian said she chose to do the climb over the Christmas/New Year period because it's a difficult time for her.
"To be fair, every day is not great, but obviously the holidays are worse. Everybody's out celebrating and bringing the New Year in but we muddle through…Yes, we bring a New Year in… But we've come to the realisation neither of them is coming back so it's a bit poignant that day."
Honouring Grace and David's legacies
Gillian revealed she has two stones engraved with Grace and David's names which she plans to leave at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
"I'm going to put them up there so they're travelling with me… and they're part of it."
The trek, which is raising money for White Ribbon in Grace's honour and a local hospice in David's, is just one way Gillian carries on their legacies.
Supporting domestic violence survivors has become an important mission for Gillian since Grace's murder. She said she turned to advocacy in the hopes of sparing another parent from going through what she is.
"With White Ribbon we've got to raise awareness, that's what we've got to do. We've got to try so some mum doesn't have to go through this or some father doesn't have to go through what I go through.
"Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have Grace back but I can't have that. So this is the next best thing."
After Grace died, her family also started the charity, Love Grace, which helps support victims of domestic abuse. One of its most notable appeals was the handbag appeal - which Gillian said has just continued to grow.
"I knew from the start when Grace was taken from us I had to do something to channel my grief somewhere. You can stay in that big black hole, but it's a very lonely, horrible place.
"So we decided on handbags, Grace loves handbags… So we decided we would do something with handbags. [We decided] we would fill them with essential stuff like shampoo and conditioner - which we all take for granted. And then donate them to a local refuge.
"We initially thought we would do 50 to 150. Now I think we're like 12,000, something like that probably more than that worldwide now."
Message to New Zealanders
Gillian also had a sweet message for New Zealanders, saying she can't thank them enough for their ongoing support.
"They took Grace to their heart. They took us to their hearts. When we were over there people recognised us but didn't invade our space.
"I still get letters and messages of support and love… I can't thank them enough. Grace is part of them, a New Zealander. They embraced us. They were amazing as a country and amazing people."
