Taylor joined his team-mates and a wider group of top players for a camp in Christchurch last month. They had practice games and fitness testing which has meant curbing a Taylor favourite: the colonel's secret recipe chicken.
"Everything is eaten in moderation these days, so no buckets," Taylor laughs at his fondness for KFC. "I passed the fitness test under the new support team, so a big thanks to them."
It is Taylor's first tour to Zimbabwe and the first by a top New Zealand side in six years, although the 'A' team visited last year. The Black Caps are expected to win if the 10-wicket win at the World Cup was a gauge but Zimbabwe are improving.
They produced a 130-run win over Bangladesh in their return to the test fold after a six-year absence; that was followed by a seven-wicket loss to Pakistan where 412 runs in the first innings put them in a strong position before they crumbled in the second innings and dropped five catches.
"They've had a good run of late at home," Taylor says. "Pakistan only won the majority of their limited over matches in the last five overs. I'm glad they played well. We're under no illusions we're expected to win but it's not going to be an easy tour. We're expecting flat, low, slow pitches similar to what the 'A' team encountered; nothing fast. I'm told a short cover can be as useful as second slip when close-in catchers come into play. Our change-up bowlers will be important as will bowling full and straight.
"I expect Zimbabwe to play to their strengths and could sometimes use three spinners [like at the World Cup] because their quicks only bowl at about 130kph."
Zimbabwe remains a fragile democracy under President Robert Mugabe who oversaw the demise of the country's economy, infrastructure, health system and human rights in recent years. That resulted in Zimbabwe being dropped as a test-playing nation. With Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change sharing power over the last two years, cricket has received some stability.
New Zealand Cricket Players Association boss Heath Mills visited Zimbabwe last year to complete a pre-tour check before the 'A' tour.
"I and the NZC general manager at the time, Geoff Allott, were impressed with the infrastructure," says Mills. "They had a franchise competition in place and money has been pumped into facilities. The likes of Chris Harris, Jason Gillespie, Allan Donald and current national coach and former England test player Alan Butcher have coached there, too."
Mills says they've worked hard establishing security and health contacts should anything go wrong such as a cholera outbreak.
"We have a good relationship with a decent hospital in Harare so we're comfortable with the health plans."
