The only sign that the Pike River boss is feeling the strain are the dark bags under his eyes which sag lower by the day.

Pike River Coal says work on evaluating the impact on its West Coast mine of Friday's explosion is "down the line", as it focuses for now on finding the 29 men unaccounted for.

The day before he went down the mine for the first time, Joseph Dunbar turned 17.

Missing miner Stuart Mudge loves the industry for the hard work and mateship it provides.

Rescue workers, who have one of their own trapped in the Pike River coal mine, hope a hole being drilled in the mine tonight will reveal air samples allowing them to enter the mine.

It's been revealed a member of the mine rescue team is among those trapped. Officials say gas levels inside the mine are falling, but unstable.

Praying for a miracle, hundreds attended church services in Greymouth on Sunday morning.

There is a growing sense of despair among the families of the 29 miners who have been trapped at Pike River since Friday.

The hole being drilled by Pike River mine rescuers could allow the miners to communicate with people on the surface.

While residents gather and families worry, hospital staff and funeral directors prepare themselves for all scenarios.

International mining experts have raised concerns about safety issues at Pike River Coal which may have led to the explosion.

West Coasters are known for their fighting spirit, which has been tested to the extreme this weekend.

A second night passes with no word from the 29 trapped miners in the Pike River mine. Families cling to hope as experts fear the worst.

There will be no attempt to rescue 29 miners trapped in a West Coast mine tonight, with no further air quality sampling until tomorrow.

As the West Coast holds its breath in hope for the 29 missing miners, the local league community is thinking of Blair Sims and his family.