Family of Axle, 3-year-old who went missing surprised with tickets to Guns N' Roses

The family of Axle Hamblyn, the youngster who went missing from his home in Tolaga Bay for 21 hours, has been given concert tickets to see the band that inspired the boy's name.

Speaking to The Rock radio station, Axle's father Glen spoke about the search for his son, calling it a "horrible" time.

"It's a very hard thing to do to be told to warm yourself up and keep yourself comfortable when you know your son's out there freezing.

Axle's parents embrace him as they are reunited after spending 21 hours apart. Photo / UAWA Live

"The whole night, every time I got cold and I went to put a blanket on to warm myself up I got really angry with myself because it's like, 'how dare you go to warm yourself up knowing your son is out there?'"

The interview ended with a surprise for the family, with the promoters of Guns N' Roses gifting them tickets, flights, and accommodation to the band's Wellington concert in November.

The family were given three tickets so Axle will be able to see the musician he was named after live too.

Axle was named after Guns N'Roses vocalist Axl Rose. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Glen told the station's morning show hosts he was named after the band's lead vocalist and lyricist Axl Rose, making the tickets a perfect gift for the family after going through the harrowing search for their son.

Miraculously, he was found safe and well on Wednesday morning. The youngster went missing on Tuesday afternoon on foot from his Tolaga Bay home with a small white dog in tow - sparking a massive community and police search effort.

Helicopters, drones and more than 100 volunteers scoured the area looking for the boy, who was found 21 hours later on the face of a hill - "wanting his mum".

He was only wearing a T-shirt, a nappy, and gumboots but survived a 7C night in the bush alone.

The family has praised the efforts of the community and officials who helped with the search.