At stumps, New Zealand were 85 for two still trailing by 49 with Jeet Raval on a patient 29 and Ross Taylor on 12.
The West Indies had removed opener Tom Latham and captain Kane Williamson to at least keep themselves afloat.
Latham played a poor shot, trying to pull the impressive Jason Holder and being caught at mid wicket for 37.
Williamson, on one, tried to cut a ball too close to him, and which seamed back, and was caught at gully off Kemar Roach.
Raval had some close shaves, skying one ball close to the fielders towards mid-wicket and being beaten outside off by Holder, who bowled well, without luck.
Earlier bustling left armer Neil Wagner was responsible for shortening up the West Indies first innings to have them all out for a wholly inadequate 134 off only 45.4 overs.
Their openers, Kieran Powell and Kraigg Brathwaite, put on 58 but that was about the sum total of the West Indies' resistance.
Wagner finished with career-best figures of seven for 39, the fourth best innings analysis for New Zealand in a test.
The Windies lost a couple of wickets just before lunch to put them on the slide, but that was nothing compared to events in the second session.
They lost six for 39 in an hour. Some of the batting was woeful but Wagner was outstanding for both his persistence and energy.
He took his fifth haul of five or more wickets in a test innings and in his last seven and a half tests, has taken 38 wickets at a top class 22.7 apiece. He's now taken 24 wickets against the West Indies, making them his most successful opponents' in wicket-taking terms.
His dismissals included debutant Sunil Ambris, who turned his first ball behind square to get off the mark, only to discover he'd trodden on his wicket, the first time a player has been dismissed first ball in a test in that unusual fashion.
Roston Chase glanced Wagner to leg slip while Holder was yorked first ball. Wagner was on a hat trick twice in the innings.
Fittingly Wagner ended the innings, having Shannon Gabriel caught at second slip for his 600th first class wicket.
He took his seven wickets in the space of 60 balls. At one point, Wagner had taken six for 17 in 36 balls.
He bowled 14.4 overs, broken only by lunch, from the southern end, which is a hugely impressive display of fitness and determination, especially considering a large chunk of the balls were short of a length, therefore requiring more effort.
Trent Boult, good early without much of his sharp swing in evidence, took two for 36 from his 16 overs, inching closer to the 200-wicket mark.
He's now eight shy of becoming the sixth New Zealand bowler to the milestone.
