Persistent showers delayed the start of play until 3.30pm on day two of the Plunket Shield match, and to rub salt into the wound, umpires Evan Gray and Dave Paterson cut the day short for bad light.
Only four overs were lost but it was a farcical sight watching the players leave the field with the sun shinning brightly. But the down side of playing on a ground lined with trees is that they cast shadows, and the umpires deemed the light bad enough for the stumps to be lifted.
Otago captain Craig Cumming's body language gave his feeling away, although he was diplomatic when spoken to by the Otago Daily Times.
His side had resumed on 274 for five and added 113 to reach 387.
Opening bowlers Neil Wagner and James McMillan blasted out three quick wickets to leave Auckland reeling at 28 for three. The last thing the home side wanted to do was leave the field, and Cumming wandered off slowly.
"They're the rules and the umpires are there to adjudicate," he said.
"Obviously, we wanted to stay on because we had the momentum, but all and all it was annoying with the weather.
"We lost a lot of time in the last game and to lose more today was pretty frustrating. But I was pleased with the score we got and to pick up three wickets at the end was vital."
No-one could blame Auckland for wanting to get off. The visitors lost the services of their captain, Gareth Hopkins, earlier in the day when he was called into the New Zealand side.
Anaru Kitchen will replace Hopkins today, but while he was in transit, Auckland was a batsman down.
And with three quick wickets falling, it would have been eager to call it a day.
Earlier, Sam Wells resumed on 56 and in search of his second first-class hundred. The strapping batting all-rounder had played confidently on Thursday afternoon, caressing the ball nicely.
But he did not time the ball as well yesterday and on 86 he flashed at a delivery from Michael Bates.
Derek de Boorder added seven to his overnight score of 18 before he skied a pull shot and the bowler, Lance Shaw, ran through and caught the ball.
Anthony Bullick provided some useful resistance down the order with a feisty 42, his highest first-class score, and Nick Beard chipped in with an undefeated 17.
McMillan was the last man out but not before he got a short-arm jab over the ropes at backward square and sliced a drive over the gully for four.
With 12 overs left in the day the Auckland openers faced a testing little period. It is hard to say from the sideline whether it was the shadows across the pitch or the probing bowling that made batting more difficult.
But Wagner bowled with good pace and McMillan's effort ball generated plenty of heat.
Highly-rated left-hander Jeet Raval was lured into chasing a delivery from Wagner which moved away and took the edge.
Experienced top-order batsman Richard Jones lasted just six balls before Wagner grabbed his second, trapping him in front.
With Hopkins gone and Kitchen on the way, the visitors opted to send Lance Shaw out as a nightwatchman. McMillan responded by spearing in a yorker which shattered his off stump.
Soon after the officials placed a new stump in the ground they had to pull it out again because of bad light.
