For a neutral, it has been cracking entertainment, 503 runs scored, 24 wickets taken in two days.
While the standard has been patchy - much to admire in the bowling, less so from the batsmen - it has been a decent advertisement for trimming tests from five to four days.
Another tumble by New Zealand's batsmen, this time at the start of their second innings, trailing by 68 then slumping to seven for three, briefly threw up unpleasant thoughts.
For New Zealand minds it was the dread of falling short of 26, their world record test lowest score of 1955; for South Africans, it was the tantalising prospect of dipping under 47, the total they gleefully rolled Australia for at Cape Town in November.
New Zealand owned the first half of the day, on the back of a remarkable return to the test stage for Wellington quick Mark Gillespie.
The second chunk of action was undeniably South Africa's, starting with a key period of spirited batting, before Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander got to work.
Just over three years after his last test, Gillespie was sharp, hustled the batsmen and got a spectacular reward.
In one burst he had four for 15 off 22 balls, a wicket in each of his first four overs.
"Dizzy" Gillespie was anything but. He worked up good pace and got his wickets in a variety of ways, wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk taking a second fine catch, diving wide to his left to remove the rocklike Jacques Kallis.
New Zealand have talked plenty about the importance of seizing the moment, those points which offer the chance of pressing home an advantage.
When South Africa were 88 for six, it was nothing if not that, but the bowlers simply could not finish the job.
Even so, dismissing these tourists for 253 was cause for satisfaction.
However, credit where it's due as South Africa's last four wickets mustered stands of 63, 34, 34 and 34. It took 15.2 overs to get the last two wickets.
AB de Villiers, the last specialist batsman, anchored the second half of the innings with a diligent 83, and the lower order played their part.
De Villiers' and Morne Morkel's ninth-wicket stand was one thing; the 34 between Morkel and scampering last man Imran Tahir really hurt.
Even so the pitch was good, provided batsmen were diligent.
Instead Rob Nicol, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill were whisked away by Steyn and Philander - three for six in 14 balls, the innings sagging on the ropes.
Nicol discovered that just when you need a break, fate has a way of dishing out a kicking. A ball from Philander bounced off a pad and slowly rolled back to dislodge a bail.
McCullum went lbw and Guptill chipped carelessly to mid wicket.
Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor dug deep and looked to have got through to stumps, before Taylor was out in the third-last over.
Steyn was on his game, Morkel and Philander invariably challenging.
"There's no boring sessions here," said de Villiers last night.
Amen to that, and although de Villiers was twitchy about what might not be a comfortable chase today, you'd have to be a supreme optimist to give New Zealand much hope.
