John Key today assured distraught Pike River family members that although the mine could be sold to a new owner, the mining licence would not be transferred until the 29 victims entombed inside the pit were brought home.

As Jim Eagles found during a cruise in Okarito Lagoon, the area's most famous residents can be dauntingly camera-shy.

The South Island settlement of Okarito developed into a buzzing town of 4000 during the gold rush of the 1800s. Today, it's returned to a quieter pace of life, with tours to see New Zealand's only breeding ground for the rare kotuku (white heron), one of the highlights.

Jim Eagles visits a nursery for the most endangered of our kiwi species.

Blast shouldn't have happened in a modern mine, says Solid Energy chief.

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.