Kirsten shed a tear after his final Test innings

The 101-Test veteran shed a tear after being given out lbw for 76 before lunch in his side's six-wicket win.

"With the stresses the team had been under we were really determined to get this one just to make the tour a little bit better," said Kirsten.

"Certainly from a personal point of view I would say it was pretty much the highlight of my Test career."

KIRSTEN'S TEST CAREER Test matches: 101 Test runs: 7,289 Test average: 45.27

Kirsten bows out with a career haul of 7289 runs at an average of 45.27 with 21 centuries, and completed his 34th half-century on the final day as South Africa came back from 1-0 down in the series.

Smith paid tribute to the 36-year-old who made his debut against Australia in Melbourne in 1993.

"It's fantastic to send Gazza off with a victory. He's given us so much as an individual and as a team mate," Smith said.

"I'm sure he's going to be used somewhere because he still has a lot to offer.

"But from a cricketing point of view we are going to miss him and I'm glad we could give him something to smile about today."

The victory gave South Africa something positive to take out of a largely disappointing tour which saw them beaten 5-1 in the one-day series.

"New Zealand have had us under pressure for most of the season and we're just really happy to get something out of it," said Smith.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming paid tribute to the tourists, saying: "We had you under pressure but you kept coming back, and that's testament to a very good team."

He added: "We've got to become more consistent."