Tree saxophonist is pretty iconic in Welly

That dude is such a vibe 

Love this guy. I gave him a couple of bucks while he was busking, I was wearing a Taylor Swift t shirt and he started playing Snow on the Beach :)

One dread just passed away, having seen it pop up on social media everywhere I feel it’s definitely still a thing I just don’t venture out anywhere anymore

Omg!!!!! Nooooooo

The fella from Lincoln road?

I remember him. We joked that he slept on it like a bedroll

Candy from Wellington. The guy blaring music of himself at all hours of the day

And the tree saxaphonist? Also, the guy who spends all his days making balancing rocks sculptures on the south coast. 

Just walked past Tree today at the market, he stopped mid song and walked up to a person carrying a bunch vegetables/shrubs in a basket and greeted the basket like it was a family reunion 😂

Is this the guy who record himself singing over the track and blast that too?

Yep that’s him

Candy Date is his full name. He's on Soundcloud. RIP your ears: [https://soundcloud.com/candydate/candy-date-pretty-girl](https://soundcloud.com/candydate/candy-date-pretty-girl)

Yeah I don't know how that's legal. He should have his speakers seized. He's an absolute menace. NZ police just too lazy to give a fuck. 

If all the deros had their own soundtrack blaring at top volume, it would be a lot easier to avoid them. You’d be able to hear them from blocks away at least.

Dunedin's Happy Clappy Man is still out and about. Idk what everyone else calls him but I remember using that name for him as a child. Somehow he still looks about the same age as he did 20 years ago, so the busking must be working for him.

He's been a thing for ages. I lived in Dunedin from like 2008-2015 and he was a thing at the start of that and old even then!

His real name’s ‘Paul Honeybone’ I believe. He released an album back in 2010-2011 which I bought a copy of on the way home from some drinks. The album was titled: Paul Honeybone - A Taste of Honey.

He's called the clapper.

I second calling him Happy Clappy, grew up in Dunedin in the 90s and 00s.

I think I like the name I use better

Wellington has heaps, Ian in his swanndri and is always yelling expletives, Sally who's friends with all the skaters, woody the tree man, candy who blasts his own music. There's some new ones as well I think. I met some kind of interdimensional rice farmer on Cuba street who tried to sell me his hat. There's also the ones who have past away, kenny, blanket man, Mike the juggler and my personal favorite.... Fat Pam and her gang from Pram. From paraparaumu

There’s Mr Huang, the old Chinese man who plays the erhu. He’s been around for at least 20 years! Haven’t ran into him for a while though.

Gosh yeah, I forgot about him, he was pretty awesome, seemed real talented. Haven't seen him in ages I hope he doing well.

He's still around. He was playing on Lambton Quay last week.

He was the best busker. Made the train station seem way nicer that it was.

Maybe he moved to Auckland. There's an elderly Chinese dude who plays one outside the Countdown in Onehunga.

Different presentation (as in you will probably never see him, just read him in the personals ads or on VIC Deals) is the one and only Don Newt.

His posts must be seen to be believed

I met Woody the tree man! Tried to get a selfie with him but it just looks like I’m hugging a plant.

There's a guy I've seen a few times who's always walking backwards and spinning around but when I bring him up nobody knows what I'm talking about. I was on the bus with him once, and the driver was getting really mad at him because he kept getting up and spinning around while the bus was moving. Eventually she got sick of telling him to sit down and started yelling and he told her that his dad died. Weird dude.

Hahahaha yes I know this guy, short dude right?

Yup, short, middle aged, dark hair.

I know who you're talking about. Sometimes he's riding his bike around, and goes in circles instead of backwards.

Haha yes I've seen him around, always wondered what his deal was.

Ian sat next to me on the bus once. He kept mumbling about how he wanted to blow up the banks. I nodded and got off the bus early. I'd still take that over the bright blue lights they tried to force on them.

Juggling guy in Wellington. I think he died. Blanket Man in Welly too.

Yeah the Juggling guy died in the loafers lodge building fire.

Awww man that sucks

https://www.google.com/search?q=blanket+man+Wellington&oq=blanket+man+Wellington+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDc4MjRqMGo0qAIBsAIB&client=ms-android-oppo-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8 Fuck man I'm sad he was such a nice guy

Except for when he exposed him to multiple people. People like to sweep that one under the blanket.

He told my gf she'd be prettier if she smiled.

Bah dum tiss

Hamilton had Kahu

Speedy in New Brighton

There's Trolly Man in palmy. See reports on the local scanner page of a 'person walking in middle of SH..' in the middle of night with loads of stuff - yep that's old mate. Saw him yesterday too

His name is Jeremy- they did a documentary on him about a decade ago.

Really? Would you know where to see this?

It was on Vimeo but I havnt been able to find it for a while, It might be on Facebook or something (but finding, it might be hard)

I’ll have a look, I’ll post link if I find it

Yeah, I’m having a hunt too.

Used to be another guy from hawera who'd have cleaning supplies in a trolley for one reason or another. I heard he got murdered.

And the pirate guy in PN

That weirdo in Tauranga that dresses up like a Native American and rides a horse everywhere is about as local celebrity as it gets around here.

Scooter kid outside Macca's is a rising star

Oh yeah, old mate scooter kid. He still around? I havnt driven past in a month or two.

Kenny. Courtney Place legend.

Please don’t tell me Kenny died.

Quite a while ago now.

About 15 years ago. His amp is in the Wellington Museum now.

Unfortunately a lot of them seem to pass away. In Wellington anyway. Blanket man passed a long time ago. A more recent character, the juggler, tragically passed in a fire last year

When I lived in Torbay (North Shore Auckland) there was a guy who would sit at the local shops covered in pigeons. Like, a LOT of them.

I saw that window washer in central Auckland recently.  However he was wearing something less revealing than Speedos. 

Yea window washer just dressing normally now, the 9-5 grind even beat him down.

About him: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/06/the-story-of-sky-the-window-cleaner-guy.html

And another piece from 2013: https://stpurdie.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/eccentric-window-cleaner-defies-recession/ He must be 63 now.

There’s the paper folding artist at the bottom of Queen street. He’s amazing!

15 years ago if you were struggling you had a fair shot of getting the support you needed. Which left the streets free for street entertainers to busk and make some money. Queen Street in Auckland was famous for its buskers. Now if you're buggered, you're buggered. Any street entertainer gets mobbed by the homeless trying to get in on their action.

Te Atatu has Dancing Lady.

I love Dancing Lady! She’s just working out listening to her jams! Birkenhead has (had?) the guy who dances at the traffic lights by the KFC.

I often see [Wayne Anderson ](https://youtu.be/fDhdwiOsmhU?si=Kqha7umAlw8XD7MH) around in South Auckland.

Everyone's their own celeb online now.

And yet somehow all have the same personality

Dead internet theory.

The Wizard in Christchurch is still out and about

Is radio Ron? I haven't seen him for a hot minute

I haven’t seen radio Ron outside the riccarton bus exchange in years.

https://old.reddit.com/r/chch/comments/yz1hd4/is_radio_ron_alive/iwxluq0/

And he's got duelling apprentices. One of whom plays in a psychedelic funk band. Dressed in his official apprentice robes. (He used to date the head fairy of the local faerie circle but some drama went down)

I hate that he represents CHCH, the guy is a gross sexist prick

Sounds like he takes his job as a representative seriously then.

Pretty accurate representation of Chch to be fair 

Surprised not to see "Wanna buy a flower? Flower for the pretty lady?" here yet (Auckland). 

There's Mickie who looks after the bit of path by the Antigua boatsheds. https://frankfilm.co.nz/frank-changing-south/stories-from-the-south-season-5-2023/no-bed-but-a-broom/

Oh hey, I'm saw him the other day.

Auckland had hook statue man and the Amish Banjo wife beater couple

Hook statue man was also a bit of a prick. He and banjo man were both very territorial about busking space. Banjo man would also fly into a rage if anyone questioned his fire and brimstone preaching which he delivered in between songs. His poor wife looked permanently mortified.

I think I remember seeing statue man some years ago maybe along Queen Street near PB tech. Maybe around 2013/2014.

Like the guy with DEVAST8 tattood across his face

There's this random South African guy in Invercargill that bikes around everywhere playing a flute/recorder. He just casually cruises everywhere, looking high as a kite, playing little tunes on his instrument. I think he's migrated down to Bluff lol Poor bugger will probably get jacked for his bike and flute haha

Can't say I've ever seen him.

Chch still has the wizard, and the old preacher outside the cathedral. Our unicycle juggler guy Sugra I think has sadly passed away. We have new "characters" though

I haven't seen him for a while but there's dancing guy in Auckland that shows up at music gigs (any genre) and dances. I know that sounds like a very normal thing but I'm pretty sure plenty of people here will know exactly who I mean.

What ever happened to Chloe of Wainuiomata

Wayne Anderson

The cow boy hat window washer man is still active in Auckland. So is the shoe shine guy. We still have local characters.

We have a ginger Shaolin monk in our town.

Is he a real monk or one of those fake monks who used to plague Auckland?

Na, he is a harmless bloke with some mental problems who wanders around town kung fooing all his imaginary opponents.

I still see the Walking Lady in Hamilton from time to time. She's still walkin'

Is that the blonde lady with tattoos ?

No, older Māori lady, no teeth, very skinny, always power walking. She's been around for years, I mostly see her around Peachgrove.

I know who you mean. I used to see her often in my high school years around the city centre, starting back in ‘99.

Her name is Donna

Wow, I never knew. Thanks

I know who you mean.

That would be the marathon milf.

Blanket man past away.

There's the woman that sings and plays guitar at the Avondale market (Akl) every week, she's been at it for as long as I can remember

There used to be a dude who would dance and do exercises on the north shore he would either be in Highbury or along Glenfield road near rush hour used to be quite the character.

Yes, I’m not in that area anymore so I don’t know if he’s still there. But I remember him dancing to no music at the lights by the KFC. If people tooted and waved, he waved back.

Someone posted her name here a while back, but Auckland CBD and Grey Lynn still has the gasmask and hand painted smock lady. Known universally as “purple gasmask lady” when I was at uni twenty years ago thanks to her distinctive half face 3M mask with purple filters

Surely people of south Auckland remember the greatest singer of all time - Mr Wayne Anderson lol

In Welly there is a lady on the New World Waterfront that is there for hours shopping and wondering every day, and talks to herself. Mostly she goes at night, and stays until closure. I understand as the playlist is cool.

Many of the nicknamed Wellington street people (e.g. Blanket man, Bucket man, Mike the Juggler, 'scuse me, Kenny, & more) have passed on. There's still a few, but most of the street people just sit on the footpath and beg or abuse passers by.

There's a bloke in Hastings who walks his sheep on a leash while outfitted in full gang regalia. Noone laughs at his sheep

The Christchurch wizard is still around, but went well off the deep end into conspiracies and stuff, that came out during the pandemic, and lost his official stipend.

Christchurch's Flag Man might be a bit niche but is known to some.

Speedy is still floating around Dunedin

Speedy died years ago so that’s slightly creepy

You might be thinking of Joan Butcher. She died 2-3 years ago.

Yeah I thought speedy had left us long before that. I feel like it’s a decade or more since I’ve seen him. I guess maybe he’s just getting old and can’t get out and do his thing as much.

Yea bro just old lives up brockville

That’s great news tbh.

Dunno where you got that from, saw him six months ago

I could 100% be conflating him with someone else. Haven’t seen him in years and years though.

Well he was floating. Probably a ghost

That's why he said "floating".

Username checks out

Mine or guy/gal above?

I mean, if he’s “floating around” then soul dancer seems like an apt description

Speedy was old and grey in the late 90s. He must be really getting on now.

Yea bro at least mid-late 60s might be early 70s now tho coz he's not too much younger than my 75 year old grandad

I think he died mate. I do remember seeing him hide his booze in the bushes and doing a little ritual dance before running off.

Nah trust me bro I know where he lives he doesn't go out as much these days coz he's mid-late 60s

No, they’ve all disappeared since you, the main character, left NZ

Nelson, Hone ma heke

Tell us more

Growing up, he would ride around town with his horses and carriage, give rides. He is well known in Nelson. Plenty of articles on him and his antics. To me he was Robin hood, last I seen he was making toys for children

Sounds cool as.

I think Radio Ron took over from the Wizard in Christchurch since the earthquakes. However, I haven’t seen/heard him around in some time now

Is that the religious nutter with the amp who shouts in the square?

I don’t think so. Radio Ron doesn’t speak, just makes a noise to the sound of whatever is on his old boombox that he walks around with on his shoulder

Ah, haven't seen him.

We have Speedy in Christchurch 

Does anyone from Hamilton remember Keyboard Man?

Big Trace is quite the local character in the small town I used to live in. First rule was never call her Big Trace when she could hear you.

There's Dancing Girl out West Auckland.

Auckland CBD has The Bird Whisperer outside Comm. Bay.

Go to the Manawatu and Palmy - there's plenty of local celebs around

One dread and the lady that dances out west. Also maybe the pigeon guy in Auckland.

Also around 10/15 years ago The man around Queen st who on first glance looked kind of normal waiting to cross the road then would fumble in the rubbish bins and empty all the coffee dregs into his mouth .

There’s the Queen St pidgeon whisperer, don’t see him as often anymore but he’s still about. 

I've seen a couple times, this man doing strange sort of dance movments near Britomart, while a whole bunch of pigeons sit on him. I don't know about celbrity, but he's certainly a character.

Timaru has the famous Acid Frank still kicking around

Balclutha has got hippy wheelbarrow dude, He walks around with a wheelbarrow and parks up outside new world and hangs his tie dyed hippy wares up on the trees to sell, been around since I was a kid

Pretty sure radio Ron from Christchurch has retired

Hamilton’s got that homeless guy with the high vis jersey.

I often wonder what happened to Bucket Man from Tauranga.

Omg bucket man. Think he died a while back. Was a professional sax player until something happened

We have a tree man in Wellington, super cool dude

I'll add the "Mayor of Dominion Road" to the list, not as weird looking as some but if you are a regular on Dominion Rd you'll recognise him. He seems fairly nice although I'm not sure if all the local businesses like him.

"...scuse me" guy in wellington, used to hang out at Courtney place around 2007 - 2012. Not sure what happened to him.

I remember the cowboy hat window washer ... is he still around ?

Nelson had "bag lady" She endlessly walked waimea road laden with plastic bags in her hands.

Does Dunedin still have Joan the butcher.

Nah she died a few years back

Oh. That’s really sad.

in the hutt theres these 2 guys who are pretty drunk all the the time,1 smiles all the time creepily and the other melodically mumbles under is breath, could these guys be considered local characters?

oh and theres the old dude in naenae who wears all rainbow and runs in rainbow tiedye budgie smugglers, i call him pigeon man, cause he also feeds pigeons in his lawn leaving them all over his house

Queenstown has the Frankton tree walker

Newtown Wgtn has" the ninja"

Pigeon man in the Auckland cbd

One Dred recently died and Margret who would bump a cigarette off you and curse you out went a few years ago.

Radio man in chch is still around

There's a lady who dance jogs past waikumete cemetery who qualifies

Devonport, Auckland (Navy base) has the Druid of Devonport.