From Hobbiton to Rocket Lab: A slow journey around New Zealand's East Cape

This is a long post which will appear as a chapter in my forthcoming A Maverick New Zealand Way: The North Island. I describe my travels all the way from Hobbiton, at Matamata, right around the Tair��whiti / East Cape to the M��hia Peninsula, the site of Rocket Lab's space launches. I had heaps of adventures on the way and learned a lot, especially about M��ori culture. Although, I could have picked a better time as it was midwinter and raining constantly!