England skipper Joe Root produced a captain's knock just when he and his team needed it to give them a strong foothold in a match they are desperate to win.
With Rory Burns also reaching three figures on day three, England put themselves just 106 runs behind the Kiwis with the chance to go big on day four and see what they can squeeze out of the game.
It won't be a straightforward task with both Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley falling late on before the rain drew a premature end to the day.
But with Root still in the middle on 114 not out in England's total of 269-5, there is plenty of scope to do to New Zealand what they did in Mount Maunganui and bat the home side out of the game.
Root's hundred was the slowest of all the 17 he has now scored for England, coming from 259 balls, but it showed that he is more than capable of practising what he preaches in reaching his first ton for 15 innings.
In fact this innings set an example in so many ways for his team both in terms of when it arrived - the first innings of the match, how long it has been going for - more than six and a half hours, and how he has played - with total control.
The only false shot in his innings has been the one he went to his hundred with, a bottom edge that bounced past the stumps and over the keeper for four.
Root smiled a knowing smile that he had a bit of fortune on his side as he punched the air, kissed the badge on his helmet and took his congratulations from Crawley, who will not forget the moment in a hurry.
Burns too deserves plenty of credit for the way he played in putting on 177 with the skipper and collecting the second hundred of his career.
He was far more assured than the previous evening and hardly put a foot wrong as the two batsmen dovetailed perfectly to frustrate the Kiwi bowlers.
It was a crying shame then that Burns was on his way back to the pavilion just two balls after reaching the milestone when he pushed for a second run to Jeet Raval at deep mid-wicket that simply wasn't there.
Stokes looked in premier touch from the moment he made it to the middle, driving with power and timing on his way to a confident 26.
But with the second new ball just eleven overs old, Tim Southee found just enough movement from around the wicket to take the outside edge with Ross Taylor pouching a super catch low down at slip.
Crawley was given a generous Kiwi welcome by the ground announcer, but his maiden knock lasted just six balls as he followed a ball from Neil Wagner angled across him and edged to the keeper.
