England captain Stokes had seen New Zealand advance from their overnight 225-5 to post 329 all out, before a collapse saw the home side slump to 21-4 in reply at Headingley.
That brought Stokes to the middle, and he elected to go immediately on the attack.
From the third ball he faced, Stokes slapped Tim Southee's delivery high over the long-off boundary.
It took him to a career haul of 100 Test sixes, matching the total achieved by former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist.
The only man to plunder more is Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand great who is now England's Test head coach.
McCullum cleared the ropes 107 times in his distinguished Test career.
The all-out-attack approach from Stokes did not bring the desired results, with the skipper cracking a delivery from Neil Wagner to Kane Williamson at mid-off to be out for 18 from 13 deliveries.
When Ben Foakes was pegged leg before wicket three balls later, without any addition to the score, England were in deep trouble on 55-6, having earlier seen Alex Lees, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley bowled by the hugely impressive Trent Boult.
The final match of the series is effectively a dead rubber, however, with England holding an unassailable 2-0 lead.
The 46-year-old was involved a single-vehicle accident at Hervey Range, approximately 50km from Townsville in Queensland.
Symonds' death continues a devastating year for Australian cricket, after the passings of legends Rod Marsh and Shane Warne from heart attacks in March.
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor said it was "another tragic day" for cricket.
"Unfortunately, I've been here too often, this year, under these circumstances," he told the Nine Network. "I can't quite believe it, to be honest. Another tragic day for cricket."
"He was an entertainer with the bat when it came to cricket and as you say he was an imposing guy, he was a big lad."
Tributes on social media flowed for the man affectionately known as "Roy", who was an instrumental figure in Australia's cricketing dominance across the Test and short-form versions of the game of the 2000s.
Former Australia teammate Adam Gilchrist wrote on Twitter how Symonds' passing "really hurts", while Pakistan legend Shoaib Akhtar tweeted how he was "devastated" at the news.
Michael Vaughan also posted on Twitter how it "didn't feel real", while former Australian Test captain and colleague on Fox Cricket, Allan Border, spoke on his distinct style on and off the pitch.
"He hit the ball a long way and just wanted to entertain," Border told the Nine Network. "He was, in a way, a little bit of an old-fashioned cricketer.
"He was an adventurer. Loved his fishing, he loved hiking, camping. People liked his very laid-back style.
"Symo away from the cameras and away from the spotlight, loved, I think, a bit of solitude and that is why he loved his fishing. Loved his own time."
Langer stepped down on Saturday after rejecting a short-term contract extension.
Cricket Australia had hoped Langer would remain in his role for a "period of transition", with the organisation looking elsewhere for a long-term appointment.
The coach's intensity away from the pitch had been an apparent point of contention among some of the playing squad – an issue that has been raised again following his departure.
"My life has been built on values of honesty, respect, trust, truth, and performance," Langer wrote in a resignation letter reported by The Australian. "And if that comes across as 'too intense' at times, I apologise."
But Gilchrist, who played alongside Langer, has bristled at this criticism, as he explained to SEN on Monday.
"He's been painted by some particular people as a monster," Gilchrist said. "That is not Justin Langer.
"He'll be the first to admit he has his frailties, he has his areas of weakness, but gee, he'll sit and look you in the eye and work it out with you.
"So, to be painted as a monster, what sort of effect would that have on you personally and what's the flow-on effect to your family and the people that are nearest and dearest to you? Particularly through a period of time when you're not nearly understanding what is going on, the consistent innuendo and rumour.
"I think he stated it perfectly in his resignation letter: honesty, respect, trust, truth, performance.
"And then, unfortunately, he felt a compelling need to say 'if that's been the trouble, I apologise' – they're the foundations he bases his life on.
"I totally agree with him; I unfortunately disagree with him that he felt a need to apologise, because that shouldn't be a situation."
At Melbourne's Junction Oval, a Ricky Ponting XI beat an Adam Gilchrist XI by one run, with superstar line-ups turning out in support of the relief effort.
Former Australia captain Ponting made 26 from 14 balls and West Indies great Lara plundered 30 in the 10-overs-a-side match, as the Ponting XI made 104-5 from their allocation.
In the reply, Gilchrist scored 17 before he was bowled by former Australian rules star Luke Hodge, before Shane Watson cracked three sixes in a nine-ball 30 and Andrew Symonds added 29.
Ponting, Lara, Watson and Symonds all retired to give others a chance to shine in the charity contest, which saw bowlers including Peter Siddle, Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram and Dan Christian come in for some uncharitable treatment from batsmen.
Brett Lee's 2-11 from two overs bucked the trend, as the former Baggy Green paceman took the wickets of Gilchrist XI stars Brad Hodge and Yuvraj Singh.
Tendulkar, who was named coach of the Ponting XI, made a crowd-pleasing cameo between innings when he faced an over shared by Ellyse Perry and Annabel Sutherland.
The Gilchrist XI then needed five from the final ball of their 10 overs, but ex-Aussie rules footballer Nick Riewoldt, attempting to club a six, could only scramble a three to leave his team just short on 103-6.
Cricket Australia centred the match around its Big Appeal campaign, with television coverage taking the match to a large audience, and its fundraising was boosted by an online auction.
At least 33 people died in Australia's bushfire crisis, with wildlife taking the brunt and homes and large areas of land being destroyed.
The 36-year-old revealed he would end his Test career after their clash with India in Adelaide and his one-day international career following the next month’s triangular series against India and Sri Lanka.
Gilchrist had become the record holder for most Test dismissals by a wicketkeeper when he claimed his 414th victim the day before to move past South Africa’s Mark Boucher.
He scored 17 centuries in a 96-Test career and helped Australia’s one-day side win three successive World Cups.
Gilchrist said in a statement: “It is with great pride and happiness that I make the decision to retire from Test and one-day cricket.
“I’ve come to this decision after much thought and discussion with those most important to me.
“My family and I have been fortunate to have had an amazing journey full of rich experiences throughout my career and are sincerely grateful to all who have helped make this stage of our lives so fulfilling.
“I am now ready and excited to move into the next phase of my life which will of paramount importance include much more time with (wife) Mel, (and children) Harrison, Annie and Archie.”
Gilchrist contributed just 14 of Australia’s first-innings total of 563 as his final Test match ended in a draw.
