The tour was the first by a representative New Zealand side to South Africa and the tourists embarked on their visit without having won a Test match since they had been granted full member status of the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1930.

Despite having retired from Test cricket in 1951,[6] the experienced Walter Hadlee was asked to captain the side but declined and Rabone agreed to lead the tour.

With the aim of establishing a high standard of fielding, some older or slower players were overlooked, including the spinners Tom Burtt and Alex Moir, and the opening batsman Gordon Leggat.

South Africa gained a "great advantage" by winning the toss and chose to bat on a wicket which Wisden said "became more difficult as the match progressed".

[17] In reply, New Zealand finished the second day's play on 70 for the loss of 2 wickets (70/2) with captain Geoff Rabone unbeaten on 40 runs.

[18] After a rest day on 13 December,[f] Rabone completed his first century in Test cricket, scoring 107 in an innings which lasted over six hours, but New Zealand were all out for 230, and were asked to follow on.

[17] The second Test is notable for New Zealander Bob Blair receiving news that his fiancée, Nerissa Love, had been killed in the Tangiwai railway disaster on Boxing Day morning.

South African Dick Westcott and New Zealanders Bill Bell and Ian Leggat made their Test debuts.

[23] In reply, South Africa scored 326 runs, including a ninth wicket stand of 95 between Jack Cheetham and Hugh Tayfield.

[5] A damp pitch should have favoured New Zealand's bowlers, but the South African opening pair of McGlew and Westcott added 104 for the first wicket.

A batting collapse followed, with Guy Overton taking three wickets for just one run in 13 balls to reduce the South Africans to 139/6 at one point.

[5] They were asked to follow on, and a combination of rain and bad light meant that they survived into the fourth day despite a hostile opening bowling spell by Neil Adcock.

[5] New Zealand won the toss for the third match in succession at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, but, after closing to bat, were unable to take advantage of a slow pitch which favoured the batsmen.

They did so in just over three hours, with Russell Endean and John Watkins both receiving praise from Wisden for "hitting freely" as they won the match by five wickets.