'We haven't forgotten, we're coming for you': Widows re-enter Pike River mine

"We haven't forgotten, we're coming for you… we won't give up."

Those were the tearful words of one widow, Anna Osbourne, nine years after losing her husband.

There were tears, hugs, brave faces and bunched flowers as the mist lingered over the forest outside the Pike River Mine today.

Twenty-six family members of those killed in the mine explosion, ventured further than ever before into the drift.

Today was the their chance to go in as far as the 170m barrier, before the remainder of the 2.3km tunnel is recovered.

Anna Osbourne and Sonya Rockhouse are helped by Bryan Heslip as they visit 170m inside the drift where they lost their husbands.

Anna Osbourne, Daniel Rockhouse and Sonya Rockhouse tag in for the visit into the mine.

Family members in the drift runner vehicle which they travelled into the mine in.

The Pike River tragedy claimed 29 lives in the blast in November 2010. Daniel Rockhouse was one of just two miners in the group who survived.

He went in again today with his mum, Sonya, to the barrier beyond which, somewhere in the mine, lies their brother and son, Ben.

Sonya Rockhouse said it was a huge thing for Daniel to go up the drift today.

"He's a big part of this. He's the last one that's seen any of the guys alive.

"It's very difficult for him, he's got survivor's guilt and probably always will."

Daniel hugged his mum tight before entering on the drift-runner vehicle, and helped her take off her gumboots when they came out.

He wouldn't talk after emerging from the mine, but Sonya relayed his words: "It [the drift] looks like it did the day he walked out."

Sonya described how the families had always been told the drift was too dangerous to go in, yet it looked intact to her.

"For us to actually be able to go the distance in we did… it was just incredible."

Family members of the 29 men who died in the Pike River Mine travel into the mine today. Photo / Rachel Das

Anna Osbourne gets a hug from Scotty Campbell outside the mine entrance.

Anna Osbourne and Sonya Rockhouse support each other as they enter the mine. Photo / Rachel Das

Some family members carried rocks out of the mine, wanting to take something tangible home.

Anna Osbourne was one of them. She lost her husband, Milton, in the mine blast and is one of the spokespeople in the Family Reference Group.

With tears in her eyes, Osbourne described the emotion, the dark and the cold with water dripping down from above as they journeyed inside.

"I was able to put my hands on the seal and talk to Milton and I almost felt him there. It's the closest I've been to Milton in more than nine years."

She said it was humbling to see how much work everyone had put in to make the day happen.

Pike River Recovery Agency chief operating officer, Dinghy Pattinson, said taking the families in was a significant milestone.

He said they were now waiting on the green light from WorkSafe, before continuing into the drift beyond the 170m seal.