KEY POINTS:
New Zealand have some work to do in the first three hours today to make sure there is no late bite from the West Indies when the opening test winds up at University Oval.
The hosts will start the day at 44 for two, an overall lead of
69, but keen to shut the door on any West Indian charge with the still-shiny new ball this morning.
And had Tim McIntosh not been dropped off the penultimate ball of yesterday - by Sewnarine Chattergoon under the helmet, after a couple of juggles - the West Indies' tails would have been right up today.
As it was, yesterday belonged to the tourists as fast-medium bowler Jerome Taylor hit a remarkable maiden test century, after a previous highest first-class score of 41.
He shared a record seventh-wicket stand against New Zealand with limpet-like Shiv Chanderpaul of 153, beating the old mark of 143 by Denis Atkinson and John Goddard at Christchurch in 1956 to rebuff a real possibility of New Zealand taking a decent grip on the test.
Chris Gayle's thunderous strokes lit up the morning before he self-destructed, losing control of a hook at 74. But New Zealand chipped their way through the West Indies batting to have them 173 for six.
However, the New Zealand bowlers then dropped the ball, failing to stick to the guidelines of patience and persistence which had served them well.
Taylor benefited from loose bowling from the fast-medium operators, clumping three sixes and charging along at run-a-ball rate.
Chanderpaul showed why he has been the West Indies' rock for the last decade, only occasionally breaking loose. He whipped three fours off a James Franklin over, the third taking him beyond Garry Sobers as the West Indies' third-highest test runmaker behind only Brian Lara and Viv Richards.
But it was Taylor, the 24-year-old Jamaican spearhead of the pace attack, who caught the eye.
The pair reached their 50 in consecutive overs either side of tea. Then Taylor burst away to such an extent he brought up his century while Chanderpaul was still in the 60s.
His joy was unconfined and he lured his entire team out of their warm dressing room to celebrate, which was some feat. He faced 107 balls and hit 17 fours and three sixes before becoming Daniel Vettori's third victim.
Daren Powell went next ball, Fidel Edwards followed to a fine diving catch by substitute Sean Eathorne at long off before Chanderpaul was bowled round his legs for 76.
Vettori's excellent six for 56 was his 18th bag of five or more in a test innings, and he reached his 50th test wicket for the year. He lies fourth equal, behind South African Dale Steyn, Indian Harbhajan Singh and Australia's Brett Lee, level with another Aussie, Mitchell Johnson.
But Vettori felt the bowlers had let slip a strong position.
"I was disappointed with the way we bowled at times. Once we'd got six wickets it seemed we were in a rush to get the next four as opposed to doing the patient things that led up to that," he said.
Jamie How and nightwatchman Kyle Mills fell to consecutive fine in-cutting deliveries from Powell to leave an edge to the early part of today.