NZ is a bit weird in that we declare that our seasons are required to follow the months.
Normal people do it around the solstices and equinoxes so really the last day of winter should be 22 September. But we don't let the seasons tell us what to do.
In the far north where I am it feels like winter has been over for a while though apparently it has been a colder August than usual for NZ. Definitely some anticyclonic gloom hanging around.
I have a 12m unheated tunnel house for tropical dwarf papaya and they made it ok over winter.
Where does someone get a dwarf papaya here? My interest is piqued.. however I have a couple of mountain pawpaw plants but the get damaged every year from the few cold frosty days in the Waikato.
Did a little bit of driving in between errands yesterday, and the car was showing it went upto 18degrees yesterday in Auckland! That's the warmest I can remember in a while.