New Zealand won by 141 runs, securing the three-game rubber with the last game in Napier on Thursday.
New Zealand's bowling was solid, the fielding impressive, none more so than Andrew Ellis' spectacular running, diving catch at third man to dismiss Stuart Matsikenyeri in the fifth over.
Legspinner Tarun Nethula got through 10 interesting overs on debut, Kyle Mills knocked the top off the innings and Jacob Oram, for the second time in the day, demonstrated his value to the New Zealand side in this form.
Zimbabwe were on the run at 17 for three but wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu's gritty 50, and Elton Chigumbura's bold run-a-ball 63, put some substance into the innings. But their batting was not the worst of a bad day for the tourists. Not by a long shot.
Having sent New Zealand in, their bowling was tidy for a time before falling to pieces under a concerted onslaught in which four contrasting innings all played distinctive parts in New Zealand's highest ODI total on home soil.
Rob Nicol's 146, his second century in five ODIs, was a fine, controlled innings. He possesses an ability to punish the bad delivery, of which there were plenty.
He had one life, on 94, a sharp, low return catch to seamer Kyle Jarvis, but there were six sixes from him as he shared three key stands; 131 for the first wicket with Martin Guptill; 77 in 54 balls for the second with Oram, promoted to No 3; and finally a crushing 92 in 47 balls with young Tom Latham for the fifth wicket.
Guptill, slow to get moving, maintained his run of strong form before being expertly caught by a leaping Shingi Masakadza at deep mid wicket.
Oram's ability to hit a long ball has never been in doubt. Yesterday four blows went the distance en route to 59 off 28 deliveries, as New Zealand pressed down on the accelerator.
Latham looked the part and showed inventive touches, flying to 48 in 28 balls. With Nicol, he put real crunch into the closing stages, as 86 were plundered in the last five overs.
Zimbabwe badly muffed a run out chance early, and dropped four catches, including a couple of shockers, Oram on 45 and Latham on 14 the beneficiaries. If a second-grade club side fielded at this level they'd be embarrassed.
Batting and bowling take time to develop; fielding is the one skill which can be progressed more rapidly. This was a depressing day in the field for Zimbabwe. That said, New Zealand did the business, kept their standards high - save one dropped catch in the outfield late on by Dean Brownlie, which damaged a finger - and no more can be asked of them.
Nicol has his day on friendly pitch
Rob Nicol calls himself a "one day at a time" person.
One day last week he was out for a duck in the first over against Zimbabwe; yesterday, another day, he hit a memorable 146 to steer New Zealand to 372 for six, and an easy victory over the tourists at Cobham Oval.
Same game, same opponents, vastly different outcome.
"I find now with the cricket I play, some days it comes off, other days it doesn't," the Canterbury allrounder said last night. "You just have to trust yourself and hope you can express yourself when you do get in and really take charge when you get an opportunity."
It was Nicol's second ODI hundred in his five matches - he hit 108 not out on debut against the Zimbabweans in Harare in October - his offspin is handy and he is becoming an important figure within the New Zealand one-day setup.
He described the pitch as "lovely", and having had good practice conditions liked what he saw yesterday from the strip in the middle.
Nicol had a couple of breaks. He should have been run out early and was dropped at 94, a difficult low return catch to the bowler, but as he put it, "You need some luck, don't you."
Captain Brendon McCullum praised Nicol's "sublime" innings.
"He's shown his ability to step up from domestic cricket with a real presence on the international stage. I'm very excited for him."
McCullum also gave allrounder Jacob Oram a pat on the back, after his brutal half-century when sent in at No3 yesterday, a man-of-the-match-winning display, had it not been for Nicol's handiwork.
New Zealand had moved up a gear from their untidy win in Dunedin last Friday, said McCullum, but found Zimbabwe's batting approach tough going. They batted through their 50 overs, and once key batsman, captain Brendan Taylor, was third out at 17, didn't really attempt to chase a skyscraper target.
"It's tough from Zimbabwe's point of view. They're probably a little low on confidence and looking to bat some time in the middle," McCullum said. "On a wicket as good as that one, once they lost Brendan, I felt they were pretty set on batting the 50 overs and I guess they achieved that, but it's pretty hard to take 10 wickets on that wicket with that mentality."
RECORD SETTERS
New Zealand's highest ODI scores:
172 Lou Vincent, v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, 2005-06
171 not out Glenn Turner, v East Africa, Birmingham, 1975
166 Brendon McCullum, v Ireland, Aberdeen 2008
161 James Marshall, v Ireland, Aberdeen 2008
146 Rob Nicol, v Zimbabwe, Whangarei 2012
New Zealand's highest ODI totals:
402-2 v Ireland, Aberdeen 2008
397-5 v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, 2005-06
372-6 v Zimbabwe, Whangarei, 2012
New Zealand's fastest ODI fifties:
19 balls: Brendon McCullum, v Bangladesh, Queenstown 2007
19 balls: Ross Taylor, v Ireland, Aberdeen, 2008
20 balls: McCullum, v Canada, St Lucia, 2007
21 balls: Lance Cairns, v Australia, Melbourne 1983; Craig McMillan v United States, The Oval, 2004; McCullum v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, 2005-06
23 balls: Jacob Oram, v Zimbabwe, Whangarei, 2012
