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Writer Alex Casey has a knack for originality. The Spinoff journalist is arguably one of the country’s finest pop culture critics and her writings at The Spinoff – which turns 10 years old this week – have amassed her a large fan base with her sharp and funny critiques.

With a penchant for the quirky and unusual, she quickly became one of the site’s must-read writers for both her humorous takes and her serious journalism. Two years ago, she left Auckland and relocated to Christchurch and has found the move South to have been a positive one for her own creative endeavours.

She spoke to Toi Ōtautahi about discovering some of the hidden gems of her new hometown.

You came from Auckland originally?

Yes, I lived in Auckland for the last 15 years – I moved here in December 2022, but I grew up in Featherston in the South Wairarapa.

The shift to Christchurch, was that hard or easy?

It was pretty easy for me. My husband’s family is here and we’ve always visited for holidays, so I felt familiar with the place before we made the big move. Getting your bearings for the first six months was a real struggle; I truly did not know where anything was.

Also, because it’s so flat – you don’t have landmarks to navigate by.

I was using Google maps for a very long time, it is only recently that I feel like I can orient myself with the hills and get a better sense of which way the wind is blowing!

Christchurch people are always good at directions and navigation!

They are. It’s like a sixth sense.

So how did you find it once you moved here?

I recently had a deeply pleasant experience which summarises what I love about Christchurch. I got my timings wrong for Late Night Poetry at Little Andromeda, which starts at 9pm on a Friday. I was still on the couch at 8.55pm when I realised. Because I still have a toxic Auckland mentality I thought ‘oh well, that’s a wash then, I just won’t bother,’ but my husband was like, ‘just go, you’ll be fine!’. I was able to get in the car, get a $2 park in the city, and get into the theatre in six minutes. The lovely people at Little Andromeda were even waiting for me to start, because they knew someone was running late. You’d never get any part of that story in Auckland.

You’re a writer for The Spinoff, you cover all sorts of things, but have you found you’re writing a lot of Christchurch stories now?

I still broadly write across popular culture and social issues, but I am the only writer in Christchurch so naturally there have been a few things that have popped up from around the region. I’m interested in curious community stories – things like the passionate fan community around the St Martins New World, or the drama around the Bookarama book fair. I’ve also written about Ghostcat, the amazing artist from New Brighton, who’s recreating lost icons of the city in miniature, and the upcoming Mātaki Mai film festival. I’d like to think there’s a lot more Christchurch seeping into The Spinoff, and it’s awesome because every single time I write anything about Christchurch I get the nicest emails imaginable.

From people from Christchurch who are appreciative of it?

Yeah, the nice emails all come from locals. Just really wholesome feedback from people saying ‘thanks for writing about us.’

I think your next big story should be on the cultural phenomenon of the meat pattie – which you can only find in South Island fish and chip shops.

I’ve never heard of them! But yeah, I’m very interested in those kinds of cultural differences – jam rap is another weird South Island fish and chip thing. Even the linguistic differences are interesting to me. Like how some people say crib and other people say bach.

I think in Auckland they say chip and we say punnet – for strawberries.

I’ve never heard that! A chip of strawberries sounds delicious.

Have you found Christchurch to be quite a creative city?

I have been really surprised by how many wonderful creative pockets you can find in the city if you know where to look. I think it also helps that I’ve started a weekend writing course this year at the Hagley Writers’ Institute, so I’ve stumbled upon an amazing community of writers here who are working on all sorts of different stuff. Having that regular face to face time with a group of like-minded people has been really useful, especially when you work from home by yourself all day.

Beyond that, I’ve found there are so many other great things going on here. I’ve loved going to Lyttelton and going to gigs there, and seeing shambolic work in progress comedy at Little Andromeda and Darkroom. The WORD festival and the film festival have just wrapped up, and those were both terrific and kept me really busy. I also adore seeing weird movies at Alice in Videoland. I think Alice in Videoland is not just the best place in Christchurch, but the best place in the country.

There’s quite a lot to be found here if you look for it.

There is. The only thing that annoys me is that I feel we don’t get our share of touring artists or shows. Auckland and Wellington get the big shows – even things like the “New Zealand” International Comedy Festival go to Auckland and Wellington, but don’t even cross the Cook Strait.

What have been the best things about moving here for you?

In general, for my creativity, it’s honestly just having lots of nice places to walk.

Actually, Pip Adam mentioned this very thing about Christchurch too… 

Really? That’s interesting to me. I find it’s all these little lifestyle things – like being able to have a garden for the first time, to have a dog for the first time – have really allowed me a bit more mental space and to take care of myself a bit more, which has been really good for me creatively. There’s the obvious things like the art galleries and all of those places, but actually just being able to go on a nice walk with the dog and not be stuck in traffic, that I have found most helpful for me.

Perhaps this ability to be able to walk around, and visit places like Hagley Park in the city, influences the general creativity coming out of Christchurch.

I’m so glad Pip Adam felt that too because I thought I was being a bit too woo woo. If I get stuck with writing or anything I just go straight out to Victoria Park dog park, or go and look the daffodils up the road, and it’s the best refresher. It helps that everything is near – the mountains are not far. The sea is not far. The bush is not far.

How about the people here – have you found a thread of creativity there?

I knew a couple of writers who were already here, and have since connected with a few more journalists and writers. Going to things like WORD events has really helped me connect with other great Christchurch people. We’re generally introverted types, so can be pretty hard to nail down otherwise.

How’s the writing course going? It seems to have some great people come out of it…

It’s been a lot of fun. I go every Saturday morning and learn about new forms like poetry, and flash fiction and all these things I had been too scared to explore before. You have to hand in a big portfolio at the end of the year, so that’s been a great motivation to get me trying some new kinds of writing in my spare time.

Are there any particular local artists you have discovered since you’ve been here? 

Visiting Ghostcat’s studio, tucked away behind a bookshelf like a spy den, was so fun and playful and inspiring. He’s not a new discovery, but it always cheers me up to see Marlon Williams gliding about the place. Another obvious one, but Margaret Mahy has drifted back into my life this year and I’ve loved that. Rachael King’s new book The Grimmelings has also been a bit of a revelation, weaving all this fantastical ancestral folklore into a hyper local setting – I loved reading that book.

On the subject of literature, have you visited Ngaio Marsh’s house?

I’ve been three times now. I’ve become obsessed with it. I went the first time when I did a story for Open Christchurch and I was completely blown away by it. This incredible gem tucked away in the Cashmere hills, basically completely untouched, you feel like Ngaio Marsh has just popped out to the dairy. It’s so fun getting to poke around that house and hear from the amazing tour guides. Everyone should go and visit it – it is such a treasure.

So what do you think? Is Ōtautahi, Aotearoa’s best kept secret?

I’m saying that to everyone. But also, I don’t want to say it too loudly because I don’t want everyone to come here, because then that’s the end of easy parking right outside the venues. What I have started to say to people is this: come for a weekend and then go straight home.