Both New Zealand and England entered the opening day of the second Test match with ambitions of seizing the initiative in the three-match series.
After winning the toss, the hosts would have been hopeful of securing a couple of early wickets, but they could only account for England captain Alastair Cook at lunch.
When the teams returned, Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott combined to put on a terrific partnership of 210.
Compton eventually fell for 100, but Trott continued at the crease until the close of play unbeaten on 121, as England posted a score of 267-2.
Read below to see how the action unfolded in Wellington.
Good evening and welcome to day one of the second Test match between New Zealand and England in Wellington.
NEW ZEALAND WIN THE TOSS AND ELECT TO FIELD
There is no hanging about. We are straight out for the toss, and after England captain Alastair Cook called incorrectly, New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum has decided that his side will bowl first.
Here is what McCullum had to say to the host broadcaster after making his decision. The wicket-keeper said: "We think that wickets don't tend to break up in New Zealand as the Test wears on, so we think that if there is going to be any sort of assistance, it will be on day one."
Cook reveals that he would have also decided to field first, had he been successful at the toss. "As Brendon said, the wickets stay pretty true here," the opening batsman says. "But, it is a bit touch-and-go here because it does look like a good wicket."
Both captains also revealed at the toss that they remain unchanged from the first Test match. Full team news to follow...
NEW ZEALAND XI: Fulton, Rutherford, Williamson, Taylor, Brownlie, McCullum, Watling, Southee, Martin, Wagner, Boult
ENGLAND XI: Cook, Compton, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Root, Prior, Broad, Anderson, Finn, Panesar
All eyes are sure to be on the England openers when play gets underway in just under 10 minutes' time. Alastair Cook and Nick Compton, as well as England's top order as a whole, failed miserably during their first innings in Dunedin. It is imperative that they make a better start at the Basin Reserve.
The opening day of the last Test proved a complete washout. I can promise you that we are at least going to see more cricket than we did on that occasion, because Brendon McCullum has his side ready to walk out onto the field. He sounded confident at the toss that his side will benefit from bowling first. We await to find out...
Tim Southee has the new ball for New Zealand, and we are all ready to go.
Cook gets off the mark with a nudge off his pads, but there was some swing there for Southee. The England supporters sound in good voice.
The left-arm seam of Trent Boult will open up at the other end. It is a bit of an erratic over from the 23-year-old, who twice strays onto Cook's pads and the skipper moves onto six.
Southee has began well, offering just a couple of singles in his two overs. There is definitely a bit more pace in this pitch in comparison to the one in Dunedin.
Boult shoots one past the outside edge of Cook. He did well to avoid making contact there, but he moves onto eight with a single off the next delivery. Compton has been very watchful so far, and he has yet to score from nine balls.
Cook's receives a rip-snorter of a delivery from Southee with the penultimate ball, but he has to make do with the first maiden of the innings. It has been a quiet start from both sides.
Compton is off the mark with a quick single off his 13th delivery, and that will be a relief after he went for a duck in the first innings last time out. His opening partner moves into double figures after hitting the ball past square leg.
Seven overs have passed by, and we have yet to see a boundary or a chance for the bowling side. That said, England will be content so far. Boult to continue into the eighth over.
Famous last words...England hit a boundary with their very next ball! Cook has looked comfortable off his pads, and a firm shot via that method brings up four, which is followed by a single. Another couple of singles, and that is much better from the tourists.
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This is a bit of a surprise. Neil Wagner has replaced Southee. Maybe McCullum has decided to try Southee from the other end? Wagner stunned England by picking up two wickets in his opening six balls in Dunedin, but it is a much quieter opening this time around, with Cook and Compton both helping themselves to a single apiece.
Boult to continue, and Compton directs the ball past the slips for a couple, before pulling Boult to the boundary. The left-arm seamer responds with a excellent delivery that beats Compton, but the batsman survives.
WICKET! Cook (17) c Fulton b Wagner
Well that came out of nowhere. Cook hits an innocuous delivery from Wagner straight into the grateful hands of Peter Fulton at mid-on. Jonathan Trott comes in at number three, and he is off the mark. Compton repeats his pull shot from the previous over to move into double figures, before the right-hander drives the ball through the covers with the final delivery.
Trott gets off strike with a single with the first ball, and Compton sees off the rest of the over without playing a scoring shot. Despite the sunny conditions, there is quite a breeze in Wellington.
A wayward over from Wagner, but only a wide adds a run to England's score. The main entertainment from that over was images of a duck enjoying himself just yards from the action.
The duck is at the forefront of the action in Wellington, after Compton nearly picks him out twice with consecutive cover drives, but the batsman picks up five runs. Trott moves onto four with two on the leg side. It's drinks.
Wagner continues after that short break, and he returns with a maiden. No sign of the duck now, which has lessened the enjoyment of everyone.
Southee replaces Boult, and after he is hit for three by Trott, he responds by enticing Compton into a play-and-miss. That was the first blot on Compton's performance so far. The duck is back, and he has taken position as New Zealand's fourth slip.
Another maiden from Wagner, as Trott seems happy to avoid making contact with the ball in an attacking sense. There doesn't appear to be too much out there for the bowlers.
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Compton moves to 23 with a quick nudge into the space on the off side, before Trott nearly takes out the duck with a drive.
England's fifty is up as Compton powers a pull shot for three, before Trott records his first boundary through point. Compton has moved to 26, while Trott is on 12.
Southee strays onto Trott's pads and the England batsman takes full advantage by flicking the ball fine for four. Southee responds well, but New Zealand would have hoped to have picked up more than the one wicket after winning the toss.
We have our first bit of spin of the day as Bruce Martin enters the fray. Compton picks up a single through square, but that is all from the over. Less than 30 minutes to go until the lunch break.
Southee has put a real effort into his nine overs so far, but he has yet to be rewarded with a wicket. He looks to be closing in on his third maiden, but Compton gets him away off the back foot for two off the last ball.
A couple of diving stops prevent Trott from moving past his score of 16, as Martin allows him nothing from the over. England have scored just six boundaries from the opening 23 overs.
For those of you interested, the duck is insisting on remaining just yards from the middle, and he continues to dice with getting struck as Compton strikes the ball through midwicket for three.
Martin has been solid without threatening so far, but he has conceded just a single from his first three overs. One person who will be pleased that his side lost the toss will be Monty Panesar, because the pitch definitely seems to need a couple of days for spin to have an impact.
Boult is back into the attack, but he is greeted with a shot for three through midwicket by Trott, who has moved to 19. Compton records two off the next ball, but Boult keeps him honest with a ball that jagged back into his body.
Trott moves to 23 with four through point, but a bit of variety from Martin keeps the batsman from adding to his score. One more over to go until lunch.
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Boult bowls a maiden, as Compton gets through to lunch unbeaten on 34. England will be pleased with that first session.
Apart from a persistent duck, that was a pretty uneventful session of Test cricket, but England will definitely be the happier of the two sides. Join me again in 35 minutes as the tourists look to build a significant lead in Wellington.
Welcome back for the afternoon session. Let's hope it is a more entertaining couple of hours than the morning session, but more importantly, lets hope that England can continue to look comfortable at the crease.
The player are back out in the middle. Wagner will bowl the first ball of the session to Trott.
Trott brings up the fifty partnership with a splendid drive through the covers for three, with the ball just stopping short of the boundary. Compton scored a couple of boundaries on the pull during the morning session, and he has now scored a third as England get the session off to a profitable start.
We have pace at both ends again, with Trent Boult continuing after bowling a couple of overs before lunch. Trott hits a couple of good shots without scoring, before he perfectly times a drive down the ground for four.
Compton edges the ball in the air towards the slip cordon, but it avoids everyone and he survives, while picking up four in the process. He mis-times a cut shot later in the over, but he and Trott manage to run two. Compton moves to 46.
After a slow start, Trott has put his foot on the gas, and he moves to 35 with a shot to fine leg. He adds one more with a shot to square, and Compton brings up England's hundred with a shot for three off the final ball of the over.
Compton nearly misses out on his fifty when he comes agonisingly close to cutting onto his own stumps. However, he moves to his second Test match half-century with a drive down the ground for two off the next delivery.
The runs have really flowed for England after lunch, and that has continued in this over. After picking up a couple of leg byes, Compton hits consecutive boundaries. After lifting the ball over slip for the first, the opener sent the ball over the wicket-keeper via his glove when attempting to play a pull shot.
McCullum has decided that it's time to revert back to the spin of Bruce Martin. The change didn't look like bringing an immediate wicket, but it at least stopped the flow of runs for an over.
Wagner has switched ends to replace Boult in the attack. He looks a bit more comfortable at this end, conceding just a couple to Compton through the covers.
Another couple of runs for Trott takes him to 38. A man dressed in a Pope costume has just received a round of applause from the crowd. Don't think it was Pope Francis though...
The umpires have decided that the ball has lost its shape, so they have given New Zealand a new one. Will that change their fortunes in the field? Not in that over, as Compton and Trott pick up a run apiece.
I mentioned earlier about Trott picking up the pace after a slow start, but he seems to have gone back into his shell just a little, especially against Martin. He has scored just six runs off 34 balls when facing the spin bowler.
The last six overs has warranted just eight runs for England, which gives you a clear indication that not much is happening right now. Compton and Trott score another single each, but England would have been hoping to continue how they started the session.
The hundred partnership is up for these two batsman, and it came off 180 balls. It was Trott who brought up the milestone with a sweep behind square, and he is just six runs away from his fifty.
Wagner continues into his 13th over, and he records his third maiden. It feels a long time ago since he dismissed Cook early in the morning session.
Trott finally plays a scoring shot off Martin from the final ball of the over, which is a four played straight down the ground. He is two runs away from his 15th Test match fifty.
It is a bit of a surprise that we haven't seen Southee since lunch who, for me, was the most impressive of New Zealand's bowlers this morning. Wagner continues though, and he secures another maiden. The runs have dried up for Compton a bit too.
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You have to wonder why England are not showing a bit more intent at this stage. The ball isn't moving off the pitch or in the air, and Martin is finding no spin. That is the halfway mark for the day.
After mentioning the absence of Southee just a few minutes ago, he is back on for New Zealand. He is right on the money straight away, bringing up an lbw appeal, before seeing the ball flash past Compton's outside edge. However, he strays down the leg side with the penultimate delivery and Compton gets him away for two.
Trott is continuing to remain patient in his search for his fifty, but he does edge closer with a single towards midwicket. Compton misses the ball on the back foot, which brings an instant lbw appeal, but replays show that he may have clipped the ball.
That's fifty for Trott, and it has come off 106 balls. In all fairness, Compton reached his half-century at a similar rate. Just one more run from the over in the form of a wide.
This lull in play is showing no signs of getting any more entertaining. Trott nudges the second ball of the over for a single, but that's your lot. On a pitch that is considered completely flat, England have scored 13 boundaries off 49 overs...
Was that a bit of swing from Southee? It was left alone by Trott, but that was a little bit of encouragement for the pace bowlers. Another maiden over.
Martin records his sixth maiden in 13 overs. Compton has 65 from 161 balls, while Trott has 51 from 115.
That's better! After Trott hits the ball through the in-field for three, Compton scores the first boundary in what seems an eternity when he steers the ball through gully.
I thought it was too good to be true...we are back to maidens again! Compton has struggled to score off Martin, picking up just a single in 23 deliveries.
Southee is attempting to catch Compton short as the batsman continues to try to pull the ball. He fails twice, and he can count himself fortunate that he hasn't edged the ball to Watling behind the stumps. He finishes the over with a terrific cut shot for four to move to 73.
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Another immaculate over from Martin, with just one run coming from it. His figures read 0-18 off 15 overs. You would imagine that England would have been hoping to reach 300 by the close of play, but they will have to go some to score that.
McCullum introduces part-time spinner Kane Williamson into the action. He is immediately dispatched for four by Trott, who then helps himself to three more. New Zealand are slightly behind the over-rate, so this may be an attempt from McCullum to make up an over or two.
When Trott is the most aggressive of the two batsman, you know England must be scoring slow...but to be fair to Trott, he has gone on the offensive in the past two overs, moving to 66 after finding the gap at midwicket.
Wagner is back for the final over before the tea interval, and it is a quiet one, with Trott picking up one by clipping a single to long leg.
That was as comfortable as you like for England. They haven't scored as aggressively as you would have hoped, but they didn't need to get out of second gear in ensuring that they didn't lose a wicket during the session. We will we back in 15 minutes for the final couple of hours of the day.
Welcome back for the final session of the day. From a New Zealand perspective, it is important that they take a couple of wickets from this session, or else you would think that they will face an uphill struggle to save the match.
McCullum continues with Martin at the beginning of the session, for what is his 13th over of this spell. Just two runs come from it, which sees Trott move to 70.
Trent Boult, who has been used the least of New Zealand's front-line bowlers, is back after conceding freely during his last spell. It is an average start from the seamer, who thought he was in with a chance of dismissing Compton after another pull shot, but the ball fell several yards short of the fielder.
A short ball from Martin is cut away to the boundary by Compton, for what is probably the spin bowler's most expensive over of the day. Compton has moved to 80, while Trott is on 72.
Trott brings up the 150 partnership with an excellent cover drive. The duo have now been at the crease for three-and-a-half hours. With wickets in hand, England will surely want to up their run-rate to over three per over before the close, which would take them to 270.
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Trott moves to within one of Compton's total with a four through the leg-side field. Martin has looked a little bit tired after the tea break, so he might be due a break before returning ahead of the new ball.
A much better over from Boult, who keeps Compton on the defensive. Compton's strike-rate has slipped below 40 runs per 100 balls.
McCullum persists with Martin, but after he is sent for two more fours, you would think that he will be brought off. Trott smashes the ball in front of square off the first ball of the over, before sweeping the ball away for a second boundary.
I think the fact that Trott has overtaken him must have angered Compton, because he is lucky to survive after flashing at the first ball of the over, but it did bring him four runs. He edges towards 90 with another boundary through the point area, and he moves to within 10 of a second successive century with two on the leg side.
Martin continues into his 17th consecutive over, but six more runs come off the spinner, whose figures have suffered in the past half hour. Trott joins Compton in the nineties with a cover drive.
Boult is dispensed with after just three overs, and Wagner makes his return with a maiden. I have criticised England's scoring rate throughout the day, but you can't blame either batsman if they take their time as they approach a century.
I am going to stop suggesting that Martin might be brought off soon because McCullum has other ideas. That over was his best since tea, conceding just a single to Trott. There has yet to be a video appeal used during the innings so far.
Trott moves to 97 with yet another drive through the covers, before Compton nicks one more with a quick single. A wide adds another to the total, before Trott pulls the ball for two to take him to 99. Two dot balls follow, but the England number three records his century with another pull shot for four. His hundred has come off 174 balls.
That was Trott's ninth Test century in 69 innings. All eyes will now be on Compton, who has come to a bit of a standstill since entering the nineties. He moves to 92 with a single through the covers.
Now it's Compton's time to reach three figures. He moves four runs short with a terrific cut shot, and he wastes no time in moving to back-to-back hundreds with a crashing drive to the boundary. He is elated. That four also brought up the 200-run partnership.
Martin is finally given a breather, as McCullum reintroduces Williamson. It isn't an attacking move from the New Zealand skipper, but he will be conscious of the fact that his side still have 18 overs to bowl in under an hour. Trott takes the opportunity to add six more runs to his total, which is rounded off by a no-ball. It's drinks.
WICKET! Compton (100) c Taylor b Martin
So much for Martin's breather - he has changed ends and picked up a wicket! He flighted the ball up for Compton to have a go at, but he could only edge straight to Ross Taylor. Kevin Pietersen is in.
That wicket has brought about an immediate change, with Wagner returning in place of Williamson. The seam bowler got rid of Pietersen early in the first innings in Dunedin, but the batsman negotiates his first delivery to get off the mark.
Pietersen looks to be trying to be aggressive against Martin, but he only succeeds in getting him away for a single, despite advancing down the pitch on a couple of occasions.
Trott moves to 114, which is the only run scored from the over. Both sides appear to be biding their time ahead of the second new ball, which is due in three overs time.
Martin, who is into his 26th over, picks up his ninth over. For those of you that have been with us for the duration, the duck has returned. It might not be the same duck, but it is a duck all the same.
Pietersen is lucky that an edge doesn't carry to first slip, but he appeared to play it with soft hands. Pietersen moved to three with the final ball of the over.
You feel that Pietersen needed the confidence boost of a boundary before the new ball, and he has got it with a fine shot off the back foot. The new ball is now available, and it has been taken immediately.
Boult gets first use of the new ball, and it is a pretty decent over, with a little bit of swing coming from the final delivery. Boult appeared to receive a hurry-up from the umpire during that over. We still have nine overs to go, despite the scheduled close of play being just 20 minutes away.
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Pietersen moves to eight with a quickly-run single. That would have tested the knee out. It appears as though the duck has been busy setting up his social media accounts during the afternoon session, because he has made an appearance on Twitter at @ducknewzealand.
It has all gone quiet since the dismissal of Compton. That may suit England, because it would mean that the effect of the new ball may pass by without troubling the wicket column. Just a leg bye from the over.
England finally bring their 250 up, as Pietersen hits the ball just short of midwicket. Since Pietersen arrived at the crease, England have scored at a rate of just 1.37 runs per over.
A single apiece from Pietersen and Trott takes England up to 252. We are getting to the stage where, if England were to lose a wicket, we would likely see Steven Finn or James Anderson come in at number five, rather than Ian Bell.
Southee gets through another over without conceding a run. He has been very economical today, bowling 18 overs for the loss of just 39 runs.
Pietersen scores another single, but when he returns on strike, he is the subject of a big lbw appeal from Boult, and they take it to a review. It was close, but Pietersen survives. Three overs to go.
The hatches haven't completely been put down by England. Trott flicks the ball away for a single, before Pietersen scores two through midwicket. England get the bonus of a wide, and Pietersen pulls the ball away for another single.
Wagner returns for a solitary over before the close of play. He has got through a lot of work throughout the day, bowling 22 overs for figures of 1-70. One over to go.
Boult replaces Southee for the final over, and Pietersen picks up three runs from the first three deliveries. Surprisingly, Trott goes on the attack with a perfectly-timed drive down the ground for two, and he repeats the feat with the final ball of the day. That is all for today.
I don't think England will be entirely pleased with only scoring 267 during the day on a flat wicket, but they will be more than happy with ending the day with the loss of just two wickets.
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Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott have been the heroes for their side. Compton played a patient innings in recording his second successive century, but Trott was the player of the day, batting through 234 balls to score 121.
That is all for Sports Mole's coverage of day one. We hope to see you tomorrow for the start of day two. Night all.
