We’re well and truly into the second half of winter now, and we’re seeing temperatures around the country slowly start to rise, after a pretty cold season in some places.

As well as the historic lows (-22C!) many places have had their fair share of bitterly cold and miserable weather around the country – resulting in a rough winter for some farmers, and a great one for some ski fields.

We wanted to know what our readers – both north and south – thought of the winter, and whether it lived up to its name.

Overwhelmingly, the answer was yes – with a combined 81% of voters saying there have been cold snaps or wintry weather through the coldest months of the year.

Four percent said it’s felt more like spring than winter – with a springlike weather pattern setting in towards the latter part of the season around the whole country…

– Drew Chappell, WeatherWatch.co.nz