Having begun their Premiership campaign with a defeat against Counties before barely beating Northland last weekend, Auckland showed few signs of improvement as Waikato went to the top of the division standings.
The visitors in truth weren't much better. Mistakes and a slippery surface played a prominent part but, with 20 minutes to play, a rare moment of brilliance from substitute Sevu Reece proved the difference.
The tone was set from the first few seconds as Vince Aso spilled the opening kickoff and Waikato hit the front through Tyler Campbell. The four tries shared in the first half came more from opposition errors than any excellence from the attacking team.
Auckland hit back when Waikato were caught out after Jordan Trainor's penalty came back off the post. Captain Patrick Tuipulotu quickly crashed over from close range. The hosts then threw one away on their own line and allowed flanker Jordan Manihera to score his sixth try in three games.
Turnovers and missed tackles continued to have a big impact. Marcel Renata's try helped Auckland close the gap to 18-17 at halftime and, after the break, a lack of discipline compounded the many mistakes. Both teams traded shots at goal, before a penalty try extended Waikato's advantage.
That decisive moment saw Renata sin-binned and eventually saw Waikato capitalise with the match-winning try, although there was little an extra man could have done to prevent Reece from converting a spectacular chip-and-chase.
Auckland 27 (P. Tuipulotu, M. Renata, S. Havili Talitui tries; J. Trainor 3 cons, 2 pens)
Waikato 35 (T. Campbell, J. Manihera, S. Reece tries, penalty try; M. Lansdown con, 2 pens, S. Christie con, pen)
Halftime: 17-18