The Wizard of New Zealand.

Photo from Wikipedia, The Wizard speaking in Cathedral Square during December 2006.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_of_New_Zealand

Ian Brackenbury Channell - aka the Wizard of New Zealand, also known as the Archwizard of Canterbury. In the 70s, he was known as the Wizard of Christchurch.

On this Queen's birthday, he is awarded a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community, the man famous for his theories on postmodern cosmology.

The Wizard says the rest of the world will think it strange that New Zealand has bestowed a royal honour on a wizard.

There are not many who can claim that the wizard had been to their house and eaten a meal. It was in the late 1970s, my flatmates and I were having a party. Sitting at the corner was this bearded long hair man, dressed in black business suit, eating my food. I asked who the guy was, and my flat mate said he was the Wizard of Christchurch, and he was a friend of a friend. He didn't wear his Wizard gown, and wizard hat so you couldn't tell he was the Wizard.

The funniest thing I like to watch him is on every census night, he would tell people that the government had no authority to count us. He would take a boat and together with his followers sail out to the ocean to avoid being counted.

He performs rain dances to drought-stricken communities.

He takes considerable pride in one performance in the Australian outback in 2003.

"In each case there was a drought lasting a long time, then the rain dance was performed and within three days a terrific downpour took place and everyone was stunned.

"It was the most absurd situation but it was most fun to do that in the scientific world while others were praying ... I do think the Aborigines were most impressed, however."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10575703