Gareth Anscombe was at his prolific best as Auckland beat Wellington 43-30 on Saturday to surge to the top of the national provincial championship standings.
First five-eighth Anscombe scored a try and kicked the rest of his 28 points as the home side lodged their fifth win from seven games to climb past Wellington atop the Premiership division on 24 points.
Wellington, who have played one less game, picked up a bonus point to reside four points behind the impressive Aucklanders.
Coming off a defeat of Taranaki on Wednesday, any suspicion that Auckland would be tired were quickly squashed as they gained an edge in the forward exchanges, most notably at the breakdown.
Wellington's frustration often translated into penalties, allowing Anscombe's deadly boot a chance to punish them as his eight-from-nine performance saw his season tally climb to a competition-high 123 points.
Auckland scored three of their four tries in a 14-minute spell midway through the first spell to take a 27-18 lead into halftime.
Anscombe got the first and lock Liaki Moli the third while the second on the half-hour mark was a penalty try after referee Bryce Lawrence deemed Wellington prop Eric Sione deliberately foiled a promising Auckland attack when retreating behind a ruck. The incident also earned Sione a yellow card.
Wellington crossed early through prop Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen and either side of halftime through centre Charlie Ngatai and wing Alipate Leiua.
However, their fourth try didn't come until Leiua grabbed his second with nine minutes remaining and with his team well behind.
Winger Ben Lam had virtually secured victory soon before then when he fended off Leiua to score Auckland's bonus-point try and put them 40-23 ahead.
NZN