In the jungle, the mighty jungle - the lion sleeps tonight.
Those lyrics by Solomon Linda in a small way sum up Rotorua's Turanga Merito.
The 22-year-old, who has played Simba in the Disney production of The Lion King, is taking a well-earned rest in Rotorua before
setting out on his new adventure.
He has been accepted into one of the United States' most prestigious acting, singing and drama schools - the American Music and Drama Academy (AMDA) in New York.
He auditioned last June and has now been offered a US$34,000 (NZ$48,000) scholarship to study there for two years.
While he learned a lot during his 1149 performances in The Lion King, Turanga says he needed to spread his wings and learn more.
"You can only get by on natural talent so far. You need technique. It has always been my dream to train in the United States. I want to be in a position where, if I want to go and dance with Janet Jackson or make an album, I can."
The former Rotorua Lakes High School student would also love to star in a movie and has ambitions of being the next Jamie Foxx - the American actor who has starred in many films including Ray, a film about the life of singer Ray Charles. The actor has already won a Grammy and an Oscar.
Turanga finished his time with The Lion King at the end of October following a few months performing in Shanghai, China - quite a different experience to the shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
One of the major differences was the audiences were allowed to take photos and the cast had additional training so they would not be distracted by flashes going off "every millisecond".
Reflecting on his time in The Lion King he says it provided him with the springboard to launch his dreams into reality.
"Half the time I was thinking 'what the heck am I doing?' It's that feeling of 'am I good enough?'."
Towards the end of his time with the show he admits he was feeling tired.
"It started great and it ended great but I have nothing but good thoughts about The Lion King."
However, saying goodbye to a character he had played for several years was not easy.
"It was really sad to say goodbye to Simba. It was such a part of me. Part of me will always be Simba. I just can't erase him. I'm grateful for the journey he took me on."
Turanga says there were times when he wanted to give up because of the level of commitment involved and sacrifices he had to make. But he would always think about how hard his Rotorua family had worked to get him there.
"They have always told us 'It doesn't matter where you come from. It's what you have got to bring to the table'," Turanga says.
Turanga will spend the next two years fine-tuning his dancing, singing and acting skills in New York.
But before he starts school in February he will be performing in two other gigs. One is top secret but the other is Rotorua's Lakeside 2007 - Heart and Soul on February 10.
In an unusual twist of fate the artistic director for this year's Lakeside concert, top New Zealand diva Jackie Clark, helped launch Turanga's musical career. She was one of the judges the year Turanga, who was then still at secondary school, won the contemporary section of the Lockwood Aria.
Simba sleeps in Rotorua jungle
In the jungle, the mighty jungle - the lion sleeps tonight.
Those lyrics by Solomon Linda in a small way sum up Rotorua's Turanga Merito.
The 22-year-old, who has played Simba in the Disney production of The Lion King, is taking a well-earned rest in Rotorua before
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