Otago's physicality and passes out wide troubled the Northland defence in the opening quarter but the Cambridge Blue fought back with two unconverted tries, trailing at halftime by just seven points.
Centurion Rene Ranger toiled hard throughout and was instrumental in a try to skipper Sam Nock and nearly scored one himself, only to come up inches short.
He played well in both defence and attack and effected crucial turnovers and linked up well with the backs.
Wing Jone Macilai also had an outstanding game and so did the loose forwards, particularly in the second half with the game in the balance.
The Taniwha will rue the two tries they conceded inside the first 10 minutes and flyhalf Dan Hawkins missing a relatively easy kick from in front and two conversions.
Fullback Rivez Reihana's kick for lineout in the Otago half going over the deadball line and Isi Manu conceding a penalty in a tackle after peeling off a scrum on the blindside in a bullocking run towards the tryline were crucial mistakes at a time when Northland were on a roll in the last quarter.
It all made for a horribly painful night for Northland, playing their home game in Rotorua due to Covid restrictions, after losing five games and winning just one so far.
Their next match is against Bay of Plenty next week in Tauranga where the team has been based at since October 8.
