Recap of the first month

Meanwhile, August is over, marking the first month in New Zealand. A lot has happened during this time:
At first, everything was overwhelming and new, and I wondered how I would remember all the names of the horses and volunteers. However, it turned out to be surprisingly manageable and quick. :)
The first few days we were here were for settling in, and we took this time to register and insure the car and set up the house and our rooms in a way that made us feel at home.
Once work started, I quickly fell into the daily routine, and it’s wonderful to have the children in the therapy sessions regularly and get to know them better.
Since the workday ends at 2 PM, we have a lot of leisure time, which we already made great use of in the first month. During the week, we visited the Kaiate Falls nearby, went to a shopping center, and watched a movie, or went to the beach. We even went swimming in the ocean once, even though it was still very cold because, in New Zealand, the seasons are exactly opposite to Germany, meaning it's spring here right now. On the weekends, we have also taken longer day trips, for example, to the Karangahake Gorge, a gorge with old tracks on a trail that goes through a dark tunnel. You definitely need a flashlight; otherwise, it can be quite scary. ;)
One Monday, it was so windy that riding had to be canceled, so we took advantage of the day off and drove to the Huka Falls near Taupō. The drive there was beautiful; every quarter of an hour, the landscape felt completely different, and the Huka Falls themselves were truly impressive, with very blue water. Afterward, we ate at 'The World's coolest McDonald's' in Taupō, where what made it so cool was that you could sit in an old airplane to eat! On the way back, we stopped at the McLarren Falls and even had a brief moment of sunshine before it poured rain again.
We also explored Tauranga a bit in our spare time. The landmark of the town is Mount Maunganui, which we can see from our accommodation. Directly at the mountain, there is a beautiful beach where we watched the sunrise once. It was breathtaking! The interesting thing is that here, the sun rises over the ocean and then sets on the other side, while in Europe, the sun sets in the ocean. I didn’t know that before. :)
We also watched the sunset and hiked up Mount Maunganui for it. It is truly incredible every single day with all the colors in the sky during sunset.
This was indeed a summary of the first month here in New Zealand, but to conclude, here are some amusing/interesting side facts that I noticed in the first month.
1. Everyone here is super nice and open. People constantly ask how you are doing. :)
2. There are about 5 million people in New Zealand, of which a third live in Auckland.
3. It’s often said that there are more sheep than people in New Zealand, but on the drives, I have seen almost as many cows as sheep so far.
4. Some people walk around barefoot here, especially in supermarkets, which I’ve noticed. ;)