WELLINGTON, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's first rocket was successfully launched from Great Mercury Island on Monday, according to Radio New Zealand.

    Dozens of spectators watched the six-meter-long Atea-1 blast off from Great Mercury Island, just off the Coromandel Peninsula, at about 02:30 p.m. local time on Monday (0130 GMT), the Radio New Zealand said.

    A series of technical hitches had delayed the planned early morning take-off, with spare parts having to be helicoptered in from Whitianga, it said.

    The launch is the culmination of a 15-year-long dream for Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck, who began working in his garage on an engine and a polymer-based fuel ignited by liquid nitrous oxide three years ago, it added.

    Beck said the Atea-1 is pushing the boundaries of its carbon fiber fuselage, which should reach Mach 5 at an altitude of 120 km before plunging back into the ocean, said the Radio New Zealand.