The school holidays have come and gone...

and the little fact that they were the winter school holidays was not enough of a reason to stop us going away in Beddy!

Okay so it was a little chilly but its not like we didn't have blankets, lots of changes of clothes and a gas heater to keep us warm. So where did we go?

First stop was Lake Pearson to get some photos, the lake was relatively calm on one half of it and so reflected the surrounding mountains in it. So needless so say photos had to be taken, then the girlies decided that tossing a few rocks in to watch the splash was a really fun thing to do. Now no one can call me slow on the uptake, and being the sort of person that takes the weirdest of photos I decided that some splash shots would be in order.

Credits here

And as you can read on the journalling my darling Chris is the bestest assistant to a nutty photographer, okay so he looked at me a little strangely when I first asked him to throw a rock in but did it anyway, and after about half a dozen rocks we got this! See I couldn't live without my darling husband. Who else would just do half the nutty things I ask him to do?

I have to show you the following page too, the photo was taken by Anya with my SLR, okay I made sure the settings were going to work for her but she composed the shot and made it happen. Both the girls had got a giggle when they first spotted their dollies and Anya wanted to take a photo of it so who am I to stop her creativity?

Credits here

I actually learned a new trick to selective colour this one, and boy is it so much easier than the way I had been doing it!

Next stop was the Bealey Hotel, no not for a quick drink but to let the girlies see the Moa. Mind they were a little apprehensive to start, I mean it is HUGE! the fact that its made from concrete is a whole nother story! It did take a little bit of coaxing to get them to get close enough to touch it to see that it was actually only a concrete model. And it took quite some convincing that Moa's were in fact extinct and wouldn't be jumping out of the bushes at them anytime soon.

Next stop, Arthurs Pass were we managed to spot a Kea galavanting on the road like it owned the place! Off in hot pursuit went we with camera in hand, and the girls eager to get close enough to it to check it out properly. They did have to be reminded that the road it was wandering on was infact a busy State Highway and that they had to be careful even if the Kea wasn't!

I am just about to post this one in the gallery so come back and check out the credits later.

Getting to the end of the first days driving here, yeah I know quite a way but we are nearly where we decided to stay for the night which was at a Layby at Mitchells on the West Coast. Not until I had asked Chris to stop and back up Beddy so I could get some shot at Lake Brunner.

Credits here

Now you see why I needed him to stop suddenly don't you? How could you not stop and take a photo here?

Oh and we walked up the Carew Falls track, got photos there too but yet to resize or make a page of them. So they will be coming soon!