Watch - 'Circle of Life': Train passengers serenaded by Lion King classic. Video / My Great Adventure via Facebook
Passengers on an Auckland train were treated to an intimate performance of a classic Disney song, which one passenger said was the "best experience ever on a train".
That passenger, who is on a remarkable journey himself, shared the performance in a live video on social media, spreading the magic moment to thousands more.
Franz Oliver Lindsay, who is walking the length of the country to raise awareness of addiction and to raise funds for the Anti-P Ministry, went live on his popular Facebook page when he encountered the "incredible" group.
He said the passengers on the southbound train from Britomart had been quiet and self-contained until the two men and three women boarded.
When one of the men began singing with two of the women, Lindsay removed his headphones to listen, before deciding to share the intimate performance with a much larger audience of Facebook Live, asking the group's permission first.
The group launched into the 1994 Elton John smash-hit The Circle of Life from The Lion King soundtrack, before a rendition of The Bee Gees' How Deep Is Your Love, the 1970s smash covered by Kiwi crooners Adeaze in 2004.
He said the group's smooth harmonies brought smiles to the other passengers' faces.
He said he didn't know anything about the group, other than they were from Māngere.
Lindsay told the Herald he advised the group to make contact with a music industry friend in the area to further their careers.
Lindsay was floored by the significance of Circle of Life to his own journey of relapse and recovery, saying it had "wicked meaning" to him.
Lindsay said the trauma of surviving sexual assault as a young man drove him into drugs, but a desire to help others and the promise of fulfilling a long-held desire to walk the length of New Zealand had helped him to climb out of the nightmare.
Franz-Oliver Lindsay is travelling the length of the country. Photo / Supplied
Now seven months clean, Lindsay started his journey at the end of March in Northland, walking and relying on members of the public to give him rides - an experience he said had been overwhelmingly positive.
It is not the only time that music has featured in his journey, with Kiwi singer Pieter T contacting him when he was at "rock bottom" and motivating him to get clean and turn his life around.
The singer shared the message with Lindsay after he went public with his struggles, after a former friend stole from him to buy drugs.
Lindsay urged anyone else battling with addiction to seek support, saying that services like the Anti-P Ministry or 12-step groups were there to help.
Follow Lindsay's journey and donate here, and contact the Anti-P Ministry here.
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