While advance of the main tunnel was undertaken parallel with pit-bottom development, the tunnel halted on April 11, 2008 to allow for completion of other work on the mine, including the last 471m of pit-bottom roadways, concrete and infrastructure work.

So far over 300 cubic metres of structural concrete has been poured, 850cu.m of sprayed-on shotcrete applied, and high-voltage power supply cables and gas monitoring and communications cabling have been installed.

Pike River said the coal preparation plant is 90% complete, with all major equipment installed and stack-out conveyors in place for coal and reject material.

The tunnel is on track to intersect the Hawera fault later in May and is expected to intersect the coal seam in July 2008.