Much of NZ will come to a standstill today as the victims of the Pike River tragedy are remembered.

Raphael Alualu was just beginning to make something of his life when it was tragically cut short.

A local politician says a popular diving spot on Auckland's North Shore should not be closed down despite the death of a teenage diver.

A jet engine brought in to make the Pike River mine safe is now in place. Rescue services are hopeful it will be in use tonight so the process to recover the remains of the 29 trapped miners can begin.

Police have named a 17-year-old boy who went missing after diving into a North Shore lake yesterday.

Divers are looking for a 16-year-old who disappeared after jumping into the water from a cliff.

Hopes of recovering bodies are fast fading for families of the 29 miners lost in the Pike River mine.

An Australian expert was arriving in Greymouth tonight to provide advice on the jet engine GAG operation at the ill-fated Pike River Coal mine, where it's "highly likely" part of a coal seam has caught fire.

Police divers will this evening start their search for a 16-year-old boy who failed to resurface after diving into Lake Pupuke in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore this afternoon during an organised youth group activity.

The chief executive of Pike River mine says the families of the 29 victims of the disaster are coming to terms with the fact they may not get their loved ones back, as recovery efforts continue to be hindered.

Funds are continuing to pour in for the families of the 29 victims of the Pike River mine tragedy.

Nightmares about the 12 Queensland miners he could not save have haunted John Brady for more than 20 years.

Flames were last night shooting from the top of a 108m ventilation shaft at the Pike River coal mine - and only a couple of mountain peaks away a 43-year-old fire from the Strongman mine continues to billow smoke.

The Royal Commission into the Pike River mine tragedy will be headed by High Court Judge Graham Panckhurst.

The Pike River Coal mine may have to be temporarily sealed after a fourth blast sent smoke and flames spewing from underground.

A royal commission of inquiry into the Pike River tragedy will look at causes of the blast and the initial response.

Jim O'Donnell helped drag his dead mates out of the Strongman mine in a marathon rescue.

Families grieving after the Pike River disaster have called on a lawyer who rallied for victims in a previous West Coast disaster.