A South Island couple unable to escape Cairns before Cyclone Yasi hit overnight felt so safe in their hotel they slept, then watched the huge storm from their balcony.

There's a "strong possibility" Pike River Coal mine contractors will never receive money owed to them, a receiver says.

Police made the "wrong call" to raise hopes for a rescue after the first Pike River Coal mine explosion, Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn says.

All 29 men lost in the Pike River disaster died within minutes of the first blast in the West Coast coal mine, a coronial inquest into the disaster has concluded.

The man charged with overseeing the Pike River mine smelled diesel or exhaust in the air about the time it was hit with an explosion that killed 29 men.

The 29 workers who died in the Pike River disaster would have died within minutes of the original explosion at the West Coast coal mine, a coronial hearing in Greymouth has heard.

John Key has defended police in the wake of a damning report and a much criticised decision to end recovery efforts at Pike River Coal mine.

The West Coast's Fox River burst its banks today, forcing some residents and bach owners to evacuate, some of them carrying off possessions they wanted to save.

The father of a miner who died at Pike River has accused police and the Government of withholding information that shows bodies may be recovered intact from the explosion-hit coal mine.

Sealing the Pike River mine could see vital evidence lost, the lawyer for the families of those killed says.

Police Commissioner Howard Broad has announced police are all but giving up hope of recovering the remains of the 29 Pike River miners.

The heads of police and the Department of Conservation will deliver news in person today to the families of the 29 dead workers in the Pike River mine.

Nzherald.co.nz is celebrating the best things about New Zealand. Today surfer Daniel Kereopa shares his favourite NZ beaches. What do you think?

Attempts will be made this weekend to seal cracks around the ventilation shaft at the Pike River Coal mine and stop gases leaking out - a critical step in the process towards stabilising the mine.

A man who allegedly posed as a Pike River miner to steal from a family who befriended him was remanded in custody when he appeared in court today.