Families of the 29 miners who died in the 2010 Pike River explosion will today enter the drift after a nine-year battle to recover the bodies of their loved ones. Photo / Alan Gibson
It's an emotional step forward in a near-nine year saga. Today, Pike River family members will travel the furthest into the West Coast mine's drift they have ever been.
The journey to the 170m seal will be the last chance for families to enter the drift before full recovery of the 2.3km tunnel begins.
"Just thinking about one son up there and one son left to deal with the fallout of it all. It's going to be emotional," Sonya Rockhouse said.
"The last time he was in there, he almost died. So it'll be really strange for him."
Rockhouse says it'll be the first time Russell Smith returns as well, the only other man who came out of the mine alive that day.
Another name synonymous with the Pike families' fight for justice is Anna Osborne, who lost her husband, Milton, in the explosion.
For her, today feels like it has been a race against time.
She's been battling Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer for years. Without a bone marrow transplant doctors have given her months to a year to live.
Osborne says the Pike River Recovery Agency worked hard to make sure she can take part in today's milestone, before she goes to Christchurch tomorrow for stem-cell treatment.
"Life is too short, I know that. I had my husband taken away from me," she said, "Yes, I've been thrown cancer - but, Pike has made me stronger, it's made me a fighter.
"If I don't make it, I know I'll be with Milt again. But, I really want to be here for my children and my grandchildren."
The agency said it's given all relevant documentation to WorkSafe and is awaiting its approval before removing the 170m barrier and continuing forward.