Mark Craig was bowled by Yasir Shah for 28 in the second over of the morning.
Pakistan were comprehensive; New Zealand were contemplative in the wake of the result.
How the visitors bridge the chasm requires some detailed analysis before the second test which is four days away.
It's a big ask but captain Brendon McCullum has urged caution.
"Sometimes you've got to admit you were second best, cop it on the chin, reflect on it but don't over analyse.
"If we win the toss, build partnerships and get a big score then I'm sure we'll start picking up more wickets.
"We created several chances which we didn't take.
"From a bowling point of view the wicket was dead on days one and two but got better in pace as the game went on. We've still got the personnel to do it.
"If Pakistan wins the toss I reckon it's a 70/30 advantage to them straight away. If we win, it's 55/45 in our favour."
Dubai's expected to be a similar surface. Winning the toss might help but more runs have to be found from the bats of Ross Taylor, McCullum and Kane Williamson. New Zealand's batting spine contributed just 91 this test. Apart from Tom Latham's maiden test century, no other New Zealand batsman passed 48.
Taylor said: "The more nervous you are, the harder your hands are [for playing spin]. The more you bat, the softer they get."
New Zealand's batsmen needed to make a more positive decision whether to sweep the spin or use their feet to get to the pitch of the ball.
McCullum concurred: "Judging spin is the hardest thing in this part of the world. Is it turning, bouncing or skidding? How much drift is there? Trying to come up with a quick assessment and adapting in the initial stages of an innings with catchers round the bat generates a lot of pressure."
Arguably a wider problem lies with the bowling. For the most part it was consistent, albeit let down by a missed stumping and several dropped catches. However, five wickets is the equal fewest New Zealand has taken in a test against Pakistan. On the other two occasions (Wellington, 1994 and Auckland, 1989) Pakistan batted in only one innings.
"Pakistan deserve kudos," McCullum said. "They were dominant from the get-go and played the perfect test.
"The toss was a big factor for us, especially when you're coming over here to play a team so familiar and red hot in these conditions. Hopefully I win the toss next game."
Andrew Alderson travelled to the UAE courtesy of Emirates
