The parents of one of two Scottish miners killed in the Pike River tragedy will fly to New Zealand to farewell their son.

Jane and Malcolm Campbell will visit Greymouth in November for the second anniversary of the explosions that claimed the lives of 29 miners and contractors, including their 25-year-old son Malcolm.

It will be their second trip. The couple came here days after the first explosion in the mine on November 19, 2010.

"It's going to be awful, this might be our last time," Jane said from Scotland.

"We feel Malcolm has no-one there. He has been left with no family near him."

The couple will arrive a day before the anniversary. With uncertainty over whether any remains will ever be recovered, Jane said they wanted to farewell their son and thank the loved ones of the other men who died, for their support.

The pain of losing their son had been made worse by distance. "Being so far away is horrible, we want to be there all the time. When it happened, we didn't want to go home, we wanted to be close. You wake up and you still can't believe it has happened."

She said they had been monitoring the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the tragedy, and appreciated the support of the Pike River Families group.

The inquiry was expected to release its findings in September, but might reconvene for new evidence. It has heard concerns about safety and design, and questions over management, including its commitment to heath and safety.

"There were a lot of faults," Jane said.

"I don't want fingers pointed, but I dearly want to find out what happened. And I do think they will never get to the bottom of it if they don't get into the mine."

- © Fairfax NZ News

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