Luke Kirkness: What I learnt from covering Axle's disappearance 13 May, 2021 10:00 PM 3 minutes to read 3-year-old Axle Hamblyn and his mother Haley Allatt. Photo / Luke Kirkness In a topsy-turvy world full to the brim with so much division and sadness, the happy ending to the story of the missing East Cape toddler Axle Hamblyn was magnificent. The 3-year-old boy with long blonde locks and an infectious smile was missing in a forestry block near Tolaga Bay for 19 hours. Think rugged hills and deep gullies lined with pine trees. Axle spent an entire night by himself in the dark wearing only a T-shirt, nappy and gumboots. The temperature dropped to 7C.