Latest fromWest Coast

Plea to husband: Don't go in mine
A top geologist was so concerned with the Pike River mine that she asked her husband, also a geologist, not to enter the mine in 2010. She said Pike River Coal did not have a proper understanding of the geology of its coal mine, and had...

Mine rival criticises Pike River safety
Blast shouldn't have happened in a modern mine, says Solid Energy chief.

Pike River: How did they die?
Families of the 29 victims of last year's Pike River mine disaster will seek answers on how their loved ones died when the Royal Commission into one of the country's worst disasters opens in Greymouth tomorrow.

Pike River Mine re-entry tomorrow
Preparations are complete for the first delicate step in re-entering the Pike River Coal mine tomorrow morning after a drop in the gas levels inside the West Coast mine over the last couple of weeks.

Driver killed in truck crash near Arthur's Pass
The driver of a truck and trailer unit is dead after his vehicle crashed over a bank on the Otira Highway.

Scenic smorgasbord on the TranzAlpine
From plains to peaks to rainforest, the TranzAlpine offers a taster of the striking south.

Second body seen in Pike River mine
Police say while they are "highly suspicious" a figure seen in footage taken from within the Pike River mine is a body, it is impossible to confirm without months of work.

Man shot dead neighbours at close range
A West Coast man is on trial for murdering his elderly neighbour and the man's intellectually handicapped grandson.