A four-man team from the Pike River Recovery Agency were able to move beyond the 170 metre seal today. They were the first people to get that far in eight years. It's the last major hurdle in moving the rest of the way down the tunnel. Sonya Rockhouse tells Karyn how the day went and what's expected tomorrow.

Helen Riley-Duddin of Oamaru runs Christmas cracker making workshops. She shares some festive tips with Karyn.

Hundreds of people observed a minutes silence at the Te Manuka Tutahi marae in Whakatane as it was observed throughout the country at 11 minutes past 2 this afternoon - exactly a week since the Whaakari White Island blast.

Danielle Street joins us with a preview of three new music selections that will feature on herTotally Wired show on Auckland's 95 bfm on Saturday mornings.

The Conservatives and Boris Johnson win the UK's general election, opening the door for Brexit to go ahead next month.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed New Zealand as the likely source of Samoa's measles epidemic.

It's time to dive into the week's news, in the past for The Rest is History. This week our resident historian Robert Kelly is looking for a winning ticket in the first ever Golden Kiwi Lottery on this day in 1961.

New Zealand Police have confirmed the number of deaths from the White Island volcanic eruption has risen to eight, including six Australians. From Sydney, ABC producer Karen Tong speaks about their return to Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.

Highly trained Defence Force personnel with specialist equipment are preparing to retrieve bodies left on Whakaari White Island after Monday's eruption. The police have announced that the team will fly to the island at first light tomorrow.

Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Lately. Colin Peacock talks to Karyn Hay about the media response to the Whakaari tragedy. Colin then takes us through the media lead up to the UK election later this week.