Alastair Cook's men take on the Black Caps in a trio of Tests this month, already confident following their two 2-1 wins on this tour in the other forms of the game.
However, the tourists received a rude awakening in their only warm-up match for the longer format. Opener Nick Compton and Kevin Pietersen struggled with the bat as a New Zealand A team picked up a shock win by three wickets.
Meanwhile, England have also gained a slight reputation for starting their away Test series slowly, having gone behind on each of their last three tours.
That said, falling behind in their last Test action before Christmas did not stop England from recording a momentous triumph as they won in India for the first time in 28 years.
There, Somerset batsman Compton averaged 34.66 in his debut series, making a few good starts without ever threatening to hit a really big score - and, subsequently, Compton has come under pressure from Yorkshire's Joe Root.
The 22-year-old Root played brilliantly in the recent ODI series against the Black Caps, becoming the first ever player to pass 30 in all of his first six ODI innings on his way to a 164 series average.
Nevertheless, the decision has been made rightly to stick with Compton for now. It seems a reasonable judgement to me as, while Compton has yet to set the world alight, he has done little wrong yet either.
Moreover, Root's success over the shorter formats does not in any way guarantee a repeat in the Test arena - and, although Compton scored just nine in his debut knock, those nine runs came off 53 balls.
This suggests he has the patience to occupy the crease, a much required skill in Test cricket, already legendarily demonstrated in the England team by the likes of skipper Cook and grinder Jonathan Trott.
In this regard, alongside South Africa, England seem to be somewhat of an exception.
With more and more emphasis on ODIs and T20s, the skill of patience is becoming something of a lost art across international cricket as a whole - and nowhere has this been more evident than in New Zealand.
The Black Caps can still generally compete well in limited overs matches but recent Test results have been dreadful with just one win in the last 11 going back to the start of 2012. Eight of those matches have ended in defeat.
True, the Kiwis' most recent series pitched them away against the number one ranked team in the world, South Africa.
But, in the absence of former skipper Ross Taylor, the Black Caps never even looked like competing.
Both Test matches against the Proteas were lost by an innings and New Zealand's total of 45 in the first innings of the first Test was their lowest in five-day cricket since 1974.
Taylor's withdrawal from the squad was controversial as much as it was conspicuous, depriving the Black Caps of the most naturally gifted player of their current squad.
Stripped of the captaincy in December because of the team's poor form, the 28-year-old made himself unavailable for the tour of South Africa, saying he needed a "break" from the game.
Taylor may well now be back for the England series but New Zealand's problems continue, this time with one of their main bowlers, Doug Bracewell.
The 22-year-old paceman has been ruled out of the first Test at least after injuring his foot in an incident at a party in his own home. Bracewell has apologised to New Zealand Cricket but the damage is already done.
All being equal, Bracewell's availability or lack thereof should actually count for little. This comes across as rather arrogant but England really should expect to win this series comfortably, with a two or three-nil victory most likely, according to the bookmakers.
After all, New Zealand are without a series win against a team other than Zimbabwe or Bangladesh for seven years. Frankly, England are overwhelming favourites.
Nevertheless, the Kiwis should not be underestimated - teams in all sports are always at their most dangerous when that happens - and so, in that sense, the warm-up defeat came at a good time.
However, England simply look to have too much fire-power for the hosts. Former captain Alec Stewart expects the twin threats of James Anderson and Steven Finn to dominate the narrative over the next month, and I cannot disagree.
Experienced swing bowler Anderson recently celebrated becoming England's most successful wicket-taker in all formats, and should find more joy under familiar cloudy conditions.
Meanwhile, though Finn is hopefully much closer to the opposite end of his international career, his early progress - 70 Test wickets at 28.22 - promises much, even if he has now been experimenting with a shorter run-up.
England's other bowling selections are slightly more problematic with Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann struggling with form and injuries.
But, with Graham Onions, Chris Woakes and Monty Panesar also in the squad, there is enough depth not to feel too concerned.
Finally, as has been mentioned elsewhere, it must be hoped that all of England's attention will be focused on this series against New Zealand, and not on events later in the year.
It is all too easy to look ahead at the looming Ashes series - with nine Tests, five at home and four away, against the old enemy before 2013 is out.
But the Ashes themselves usually require a certain momentum, and that momentum is best gained by winning matches - starting with New Zealand home and away from March until May.
HOME & AWAY: TOUR RESULTS/FIXTURES
NEW ZEALAND v ENGLAND
| Date | Match | Result | Venue | |
| 9 Feb | First T20 | ENGLAND 214-7 beat NEW ZEALAND 174-9 by 40 runs | Eden Park | |
| 12 Feb | Second T20 | NEW ZEALAND 192-6 beat ENGLAND 137 by 55 runs | Hamilton | |
| 15 Feb | Third T20 | ENGLAND 143-0 beat NEW ZEALAND 139-8 by 10 wkts | Wellington | Eng won series 2-1 |
| 17 Feb | First ODI | NEW ZEALAND 259-7 beat ENGLAND 258 by three wkts | Hamilton | |
| 20 Feb | Second ODI | ENGLAND 270-2 beat NEW ZEALAND 269 by eight wkts | Napier | |
| 23 Feb | Third ODI | ENGLAND 186-5 beat NEW ZEALAND 185 by five wkts | Eden Park | Eng won series 2-1 |
| 6-10 Mar | First Test | NEW ZEALAND v ENGLAND | Dunedin | |
| 14-18 Mar | Second Test | NEW ZEALAND v ENGLAND | Wellington | |
| 22-26 Mar | Third Test | NEW ZEALAND v ENGLAND | Eden Park |
ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND
| Date | Match | Venue | ||
| 16-20 May | First Test | ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND | Hamilton | |
| 24-28 May | Second Test | ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND | Wellington | |
| 31 May | First ODI | ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND | Hamilton | |
| 2 Jun | Second ODI | ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND | Napier | |
| 5 Jun | Third ODI | ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND | Eden Park | |
| 25 Jun | First T20 | ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND | Dunedin | |
| 27 Jun | Second T20 | ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND | Wellington | |
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