Mike the Juggler

Michael Eric Wahrlich (1955–2023), better known as Mike the Juggler, was a New Zealand busker who juggled tennis balls in the streets of Wellington for about three decades. He died in the Loafers Lodge fire in his hostel.

Early life
Wahrlich was born in Wellington Hospital on 27 June 1955 and grew up in Porirua. He had four siblings: an older brother and three younger sisters. He learned to juggle as a child with oranges and lemons from the kitchen.

For some time Wahrlich attended Epuni Boys' Home in Lower Hutt near the start of its history, when it was run by the Ministry of Education.

Career
After moving to Wellington, Wahrlich became a lawnmower for the Wellington City Council in the 1980s, and was later made redundant.

In the late 90s, Wahrlich met a man playing the guitar in Manners Mall, and after seeing him succeed, Wahrlich decided that he would also entertain the public in Manners Mall, by juggling tennis balls. He would often do this wearing a tracksuit, or what RNZ described as a "Signature blue jumper and baggy pants". When Manners Mall was closed he started juggling on Lambton Quay outside a Westpac bank, and also in Cuba Street.

Wahrlich was hospitalised in 2022 after being badly assaulted at his hostel, and was discharged from hospital about a month later. As a result of the assault, a 39-year-old was arrested and charged with intent to do bodily harm, and was remanded in custody.

In 2022 Wellington City councillor Nicola Young described him as a "city institution", and another councillor, Laurie Foon, said "Mike has been on the streets of Wellington since most of us Wellingtonians can remember".

Death
Wahrlich died on 16 May 2023, aged 67, in the Loafers Lodge fire in his hostel, which also caused the deaths of four others. After his death was confirmed, flowers and three oranges representing juggling balls were placed on his usual juggling spot, outside the Westpac bank in Lampton Quay. Over 200 people subsequently wrote messages for him on an online tribute book. His funeral was open to the public and was held on 26 May. It was attended by 120 people in person and 300 people online, including Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau and Councillor Nureddin Abdurahman.