A special seal to go by the major rockfall, 2.4km underground inside the Pike River Mine, is on a ship to New Zealand.
The seal will be pumped down a borehole, allowing most of the main tunnel to be reventilated early next year.
It is due to arrive on Boxing Day. A drilling rig is due on site tomorrow at the mine site, 40km north of Greymouth.
The work will cost more than $1 million, and is being paid for by Pike River Coal Ltd (in receivership) major shareholder, NZOG.
There are no firm plans on how to get past the seal and rockfall to recover the bodies of the 29 men who died in the November 19, 2010 explosion.
