If ever a team passing 550 was an anti-climax it was on day two at the WACA Ground, as New Zealand belatedly delivered the stifling bowling effort they needed at the start of the Test and made Australia work for their runs.
Expectations David Warner could threaten Brian Lara's Test-record score of 400 came to nothing as the Black Caps pacemen found appreciably more consistency and, significantly, swing than they had managed on day one. 
The only milestone Warner managed on resuming was getting the six runs needed to reach 250, and the seven he needed to pass Doug Walters' record score for an Australian against New Zealand. Within half an hour he was back in the dressing rooms after Trent Boult demonstrated why he was rated as the pivotal bowler to the NZ hopes of beating Australia.
Just as significant as Warner squeezing a catch to second slip, after looking so assured for the vast majority of 285 preceding deliveries, was the healthy carry through to Mark Craig in the cordon. Even though it was a key wicket for Australia they would have been encouraged that Boult achieved that despite bowling about 10km/h slower than their left-armers, Mitch Starc and Mitch Johnson, have been bowling of late.
The Black Caps' much-improved bowling effort not only curbed the scoring but it also triggered what constituted, given the glut of runs on the opening day, a collapse: 7-120 from 36 overs.
Australia almost conceded a hat-trick to hitherto inoccuous off-spinner Mark Craig - he claimed three wickets in his final over, two of them stumped - before captain Steve Smith declared just under an hour before tea, at 9-559.
Starc needed only seven deliveries to reinforce his status as one of the world's most intimidating pacemen. The left-armer, immediately bowling about 10km/h quicker than his Black Caps counterparts, trapped opener Martin Guptill lef-before for 1 with a full delivery that would have crashed into his leg-stump.
New Zealand bowling coach Dimi Mascarenhas was at a loss after day one to explain the lack of pressure generated by their fast-bowlers and was frank in expressing his disappointment. His appraisal come lunch on day two would have been unrecognisable. The four-pronged pace attack which leaked runs at 4.5 per over on day one, and managed a solitary maiden between them in 68 overs, kept Australia to just 65 runs before lunch for the loss of Warner and captain Smith. Just over a third of their 26 overs were maidens. What made the Black Caps' response even more notable was the high-30s heat they had to operate in. Boult, Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell and Matt Henry shouldered the load for almost the entire first session, before captain Brendon McCullum turned to the off-spin of Craig from one end.
Smith was, given his now-lofty standing in world cricket, considered a strong chance to fill his boots given the ease with which Australia's top three, especially Warner and Usman Khawaja, had made runs on day one. The reality was much different as the captain was shackled, particularly by Southee, and scored from just nine of the first 53 deliveries he faced on day two. The 54th was a dismissal that would have been more at home in the last two overs of a Big Bash League innings. As Henry angled a good-length delivery across Smith the right-hander unleashed a wild baseball-like swing, and succeeded only in edging behind to B.J. Watling for 27.
Adam Voges and Mitch Marsh both looked comfortable in their first home appearance in the whites for Australia.


SCOREBOARD SECOND TEST
AUSTRALIA v NEW ZEALAND
At the WACA GroundInnings break, day two
Australia  
Batsman      Runs Balls
J BURNS    b Henry    40   (73)
D WARNER   c Craig b Boult    253   (286)
U KHAWAJA   c Latham b Bracewell  121   (186)
S SMITH    c Watling b Henry    27   (68)
A VOGES    c Watling b Boult    41   (83)
M MARSH    c & b Bracewell    34   (64)
P NEVILL    st Watling b Craig    19   (21)
M JOHNSON   st Watling b Craig    2   (10)
M STARC    c Latham b Craig    0   (3)
J HAZLEWOOD   not out     8   (6)
N LYON    not out     4   (1)
Sundries    (4b 1lb 1w 4nb)   10
Total    Nine wickets (dec) for 559
Fall: 101 (Burns), 403 (Khawaja), 427 (Warner), 462 (Smith), 512 (Voges), 539 (Marsh), 547 (Nevill), 547 (Starc), 547 (Johnson)
Bowling:T Southee 29-6-88-0, T Boult 26-2-123-2 (1w), M Henry 22-2-105-2, D Bracewell 25-1-81-2 (4nb), M Craig 23-0-123-3, K Williamson 3-0-11-0, M Guptill 3-0-7-0, B McCullum 2-0-16-0.
Batting time: 572 minsOvers: 133
Toss: Australia, who elected to bat
Umpires: Nigel Llong, Sundaram Ravi
Third umpire: Richard Illingworth
Match referee: Roshan Mahanama
SCOREBOARDSECOND TEST