Kiwis take honors for the second day in a row after stoic effort with the bat.
New Zealand has finished on top for the second consecutive day after reaching 153-4 in their first innings against England at Lords.
The visitors started the day off by skittling the England tail to see them all out for just 232 with Tim Southee picking up dangermen Joe Root and Matt Prior, in consecutive balls.
Then with the bat, with New Zealand having slipped to 7-2 as James Anderson took his 299th and 300th Test wickets, Ross Taylor counterattacked superbly to put the tourists on top.
Taylor showed the fight that lacked from the entire England top-order as he bullied his way to 66 off just 72 balls with 13 boundaries coming in his whirlwind knock, before Anderson trapped him in front to claim his third wicket of the innings.
Anderson could have had another wicket when Matt Prior grassed a relatively simple chance behind the stumps off Kane Williamson.
Steve Finn secured the fourth wicket for England after he trapped Dean Brownlie in front for 23, after the New Zealander went too far across his stumps to make the score 147-4.
Both sides played beyond the normal close of play in order to make up for the time lost to rain on day on, and at 6.38pm local time the umpires said the light was not good enough for fast bowling.
England captain Alastair Cook then threw the ball to Jonathan Trott who got in just one additional over before the umpires called a close to the second day due to bad light.
New Zealand finished the day just 79 runs behind England with six further wickets in hand with Kane Williamson (44no) and Brendon McCullum (1no) set to resume the chase tomorrow.
Anderson was easily the pick of the English bowlers in nabbing figures of 3-32 off 15 overs with seven maidens.
Cook will look to his pace spearhead on day three with the newest member to the English 300-wicket club set to get a very good chance at snaring another five-wicket haul in his career.
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