It is only fitting an utterly bonkers game threw up another twist at the end.
Canterbury steamed home to overhaul the 302 they were set for victory in Rangiora.
Otago had melted down earlier in the match and faced the very real prospect of an innings defeat.
But a chunky and record-equalling seventh-wicket partnership of 265 on day three got the Volts back into the game.
Max Chu lost his patient vigil for a career-high 130. But Luke Georgeson soldiered on to reach 159 not out, his maiden first-class century.
Georgeson also combined with Jacob Duffy (56) in a damaging stand of 80 for the ninth wicket.
The Volts had rallied from 128 for six to post 515 and set Canterbury a decent chase.
But in-form opener Rhys Mariu (70) and Chad Bowes (46) added 94 for the first wicket to put a big dent in the target.
Matthew Boyle went cheaply. But captain Cole McConchie (66) and Mitch Hay put on 88 at a good clip to keep the pressure on the Volts attack.
McConchie sliced a full toss to Llew Johnson off the bowling of Dale Phillips. But the lead was down to 70 when he threw his wicket away.
Hay took his side close to the finish line with a knock of 55 and former Volts wrist spinner Michael Rippon helped clinch victory with 46 not out.
Volts captain Georgeson said it was nice to raise a personal milestone in the match.
"But the main objective was to try and fight our way back into the game," he said.
"That meant settling in for the long haul and trying to bat for as long as we could, basically."
"It was really good to show some character and get back into the game like we did. But there were some glaring [problems] in the first part of the game. We let ourselves down and let Canterbury get way ahead of the game.
"It is pretty hard to win games of cricket from that position."
At Eden Park Outer Oval, Wellington notched a four-wicket win against Auckland.
Michael Bracewell took five for 56 to help dismiss the Aces for 186 in their second innings.
That left the visitors chasing 187 to win.
Openers Nick Greenwood (54) and Tim Robinson (35) put on 88 for the first wicket and the Firebirds were able to coast to the win from there.
Spinner Adithya Ashok nabbed four for 76 for the Aces.
The game between Central Districts and Northern Districts petered out to a draw at Bay Oval.
Northern opener Jeet Raval almost got himself in the record books.
He batted for nearly nine and a-half hours to raise his 22th first-class century.
Had he blocked it out for another seven minutes he would have claimed a world record.
His century took 551 minutes, just six minutes quicker than the slowest first-class cricket century of all time — a record held by former Pakistan international Mudassar Nazar, set against England in Lahore in 1977-78.
OTAGO
First innings 117
CANTERBURY
First innings 331
OTAGO
Second innings
T Parkes c Hay b Foulkes 7
J Cumming c Rae b Sheat 20
D Phillips c Hay b Rae 5
D Foxcroft b McKenzie 5
L Carter lbw b Sheat 57
L Johnson c Rae b Foulkes 23
M Chu c Rippon b Sheat 130
L Georgeson not out 159
T Muller b Rae 6
J Duffy c Bowes b McKenzie 56
J McKay c Rae b Rippon 20
Extras (2b, 11lb, 6w, 8nb) 27
Total (all out, 174.5 overs) 515
Fall: 1-21, 2-29, 3-40, 4-40, 5-113, 6-128, 7-393, 8-405, 9-485, 10-515.
Bowling: F Sheat 30-9-65-3 (1nb), Z Foulkes 32-3-104-2 (1w, 6nb) M Rae 36-9-105-2 (2w), A McKenzie 26-4-79-2 (1w), C Paul 13-3-48-0 (2w, 1nb), C McConchie 12-6-15-0, M Rippon 13.5-2-66-1, M Boyle 12-2-20-0.
CANTERBURY
R Mariu c Kneebone b Muller 70
C Bowes c Carter b McKay 46
C McConchie c Johnson b Phillips 66
M Boyle c Phillips b Foxcroft 4
M Hay b Foxcroft 55
M Rippon not out 46
Z Foulkes not out 4
Extras (4b, 6w, 1nb) 11
Total (for 5 wkts, 66.1 overs) 302
Fall: 1-94, 2-137, 3-143, 4-231, 5-286.
Bowling: J Duffy 8-1-48-0 (1nb), T Muller 14-0-63-1 (3w), J McKay 13-0-75-1 (3w), D Foxcroft 20.1-1-64-2, J Cumming 6-0-26-0, D Phillips 5-0-22-1.
Result: Canterbury won by five wickets.
