New Zealand failed to fire and finished third in the Solomon Islands, but Ricki Herbert and his men have since won two in a row in the testing Pacific Island conditions.
With a perfect record of three wins from three in the final stage of qualifying, the All Whites remain in the box seat to advance from Oceania to next year's intercontinental playoff for a place in Brazil.
They may have suffered without Premiership pair Ryan Nelsen and Winston Reid during the Nations Cup in June, but this time the All Whites made no mistake in their absence.
A goal in each half from Shane Smeltz and Ben Sigmund proved more than enough, with the Tahitians unable to truly test the visitors' defence throughout the 90 minutes.
A cagey first half was bereft of chances for either side, with Glen Moss given little to do in goal and Tahiti custodian Xavier Samin spilling the only real save he had to make.
That error in the 24th minute presented Smeltz with his chance and the striker gratefully accepted the opportunity for his 23rd international goal, breaking a tie with assistant coach Brian Turner for second on New Zealand's all-time list.
Physical play dominated the rest of the half and New Zealand were unimpressed by a few overzealous challenges from the home side, with several players making their feelings known to the officials as the sides went to the break.
Though the All Whites began the second spell with more promise, there was still very little end product. The attacking triumvirate of Smeltz, Chris Wood and Chris Killen often toyed with the Tahitian defenders in and around the box, but the frontmen failed to fashion clear openings.
Killen missed a tough chance shortly after the break, finding the angle too acute after rounding the keeper, before Wood blazed over after being sent through one-on-one.
With the strikers stuttering, Sigmund decided to march forward and show the way to goal. Taking advantage of the absence of Nelsen and Reid to make a rare start, Sigmund met Tony Lochhead's corner and headed in with aplomb to seal the points.
Tahiti tried to take a consolation ahead of Tuesday's rematch in Christchurch, but Tommy Smith cleared their best chance of the match off the line.
Tahiti 0 New Zealand 2 (Smeltz 24, Sigmund 82) HT: 0-1
