New Zealand put aside a case of the drops for long enough to claim the three wickets required for an innings and 134-run victory in Hamilton today.
The West Indies started the day at 196-6 but were effectively seven down with Shane Dowrich unable to bat after injuring a finger.
The visitors frustrated New Zealand for the first hour, with Jermaine Blackwood riding his luck to a second test century in a record 155-run seventh wicket partnership with Alzarri Joseph.
That was broken when Joseph holed out to deep point off Kyle Jamieson for a career-best 86. That wicket was quickly followed by the tireless Neil Wagner inducing a mishit pull from Blackwood (104). Shannon Gabriel was keen to get back to his room and pack for Wellington judging by his hopeless heave at a straight ball in the same over.
Wagner was the pick of the bowlers with 4-66.
It was a towering performance from New Zealand in all but one respect.
Their first innings of 519-7 was constructed on the back of Kane Williamson's epic 251, while the four-pronged pace attack was too good for the West Indies, rolling them for 138 and 247.
If there is one thing New Zealand have established a reputation for it is their fielding. That reputation was dented in Hamilton. The catching in the second innings was atrocious, lowlighted by Ross Taylor spilling the easiest chance of his career at first slip.
It wasn't quite Joe Denly dropping Kane Williamson at this ground a year ago, but it wasn't far off and the result was the same. Williamson went on make an unbeaten century;
Blackwood, on 89 at the time, brought up three figures shortly after.
These things tend to happen in follow-on innings but it would have been galling for fatigued bowlers to watch chance after chance find the turf.
That was the one blip in an otherwise terrific outing. It was the Black Caps' 10th win in their past 13 unbeaten tests at home.
The victory margin was the largest by New Zealand over West Indies, surpassing the innings and 105-run win at Wellington's Basin Reserve in 1999, and gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
The second starts in Wellington on Friday.
