In the recent Queen's Honours List one of New Zealand's most eccentric characters, The Wizard was awarded a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community. These 'services' are hardly typical including casting spells for his province's rugby team (important), performing rain dances (useful) and entertaining visitors to Christchurch with elaborate orations in the main square (er, most entertaining).
The Wizard, which is his legal name by the way, was for many years an iconic tourist attraction in Christchurch's Catherdral Square where he used to appear daily as a soap box orator. Dressed in a wizard's robe and hat he would mount his step ladder in the middle of the square and proffer his views on life, politics and, well, just about everything else to all who would care to listen (and indeed those who did not).
Back on my first visit to Christchurch I happened across one of these public orations and joined an amused group of onlookers as The Wizard enlightened us on topics we didn't realise we didn't know. It was totally random, but quite entertaining and as with most 'street performance' you witness as a tourist, it was totally compelling.
Though now he is pretty much retired, it would seem that he makes occasional appearances in Christchurch during the summer months (theirs not ours), so listen out for him on a sunny day as you stroll through Cathedral Square.
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