And by that, of course, we mean the bush and back country of his beloved Southland, where the burly prop loves getting away from rugby to chase a pig or deer to fill the freezer.
It goes without saying that the pride of Gore is also at home in the dark and mysterious world of the front row of a scrum, where only the strong survive.
De Groot is a bit of a rugby throwback.
He is a hunter, a shearer, a man of few words, a prop who is all about the fundamental requirements of his difficult position rather than fancy offloads and rampaging runs.
He is also a relentlessly driven and loyal young man who is propelled constantly by a desire to be the best loosehead prop in the country.
De Groot packs an immense amount of power into that imposing frame and also has the technical nous to work over any tighthead who gets in his way.
Modern rugby tends to limit starting props to about 50 minutes, and he makes that time count with his strength in the set piece and his workrate around the field.
If lock sensation Fabian Holland is the face of the modern Highlanders, and the likes of Timoci Tavatavanawai and Caleb Tangitau the rock stars, de Groot might be their beating heart.
He was born in Australia but moved to Southland aged 2, attending Gore High School before polishing his rugby education at Southland Boys’.
The first Allied Media interview with a young prop turning heads was in the Southland Express in 2018, when he told Logan Savory his first goal was simply to wear maroon.
‘‘I’ve always wanted to play for the Stags. I’ll give it a good crack this year, but I’m planning to stick around for a few years so if it’s not this year hopefully I will get to it at some stage.’’
Two years later, de Groot was a Highlander.
He made two appearances off the bench in the 2020 Covid season and has been an ever-present since.
He made his All Blacks debut against Fiji at Forsyth Barr Stadium in 2021 - those who were there remember the ‘‘Grooooooter’’ chorus that rang out from the crowd - and has 40 test caps and counting.
