Locked in an arm-wrestle with the Hurricanes, the side twice looked to have scored to go ahead, only for the points to be scrubbed out.
Centre Malakai Fekitoa first seemed to have placed the ball against the post to score with 12 minutes left in the game.
But after a long look, TMO Chris Wratt ruled it out, ruling correctly he did not place the ball on the ground beside the post.
Coach Jamie Joseph thought it was the correct decision.
Straight after that ruling, replacement No8 Liam Squire was over after a nice pass from Aaron Smith.
There was only one problem with the pass: it was forward and, after advice from the assistant referee, referee Glen Jackson scrubbed the try out.
But the home team did not throw in the towel, eventually taking the lead when it won a penalty at the breakdown and Hayden Parker kicked the goal to edge his side ahead with five minutes to go.
Highlanders lock Joe Wheeler said the side did not panic when the decisions went against it and just kept working hard.
‘‘That is the best thing about this team. What the drivers did in the last 10 minutes was keep them down in their end and chip away at it. They could not get out and they kicked the ball away with 15 seconds to go,'' he said.
The team had remained calm and composed when it was behind with the clock ticking.
As a game it was a typical early-season encounter. There was plenty of willingness in the tackle, the defensive line speed was good, but there was a lack of accuracy in much of the play and combinations did not click.
Wheeler said the side had to hang tough in the warm conditions.
‘‘We knew they were going to come down and show a bit of brimstone and they did that. I thought the boys hung tough. Our lineout was probably not going as well as we would have liked. But what was going right was our scrum and our defence through the middle was outstanding.
‘‘It is so great in here. It is so muggy, as well. You feel like you are playing in the rain.''
Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd said it was a very close game that could have gone either way.‘‘I don't think either side would have said they were significantly better than the other,'' Boyd said.
He was impressed with his side's improvement. It now faces the Blues on Friday in Auckland.
The first half rather spluttered along as the home team kicked poorly at times and struggled to hang on to the ball.
The only try of the half came when centre Fekitoa broke the line and got his side to within 5m of the line. The ball then went through half a dozen phases before it came to Lima Sopoaga. He freed up Fekitoa, who went across untouched.
Best for the Highlanders was the front row and blindside flanker Elliot Dixon, while Fekitoa ran hard.
Highlanders v Hurricanes
The scores
Highlanders 17
Malakai Fekitoa try; Lima Sopoaga 3 pen; Hayden Parker pen
Hurricanes 16
TJ Perenara try; Beauden Barrett 3 pen, con
Halftime: 11-6 Highlanders
Crowd: 18,500
