Some 400 demonstrators gathered on the Kaanapali Beach in Maui, Hawaii to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) meetings at a nearby resort.

Organised by several groups, including MoveOn.Org and the Sierra Club, the protest used conch shells and traditional Hawaiian chants to invoke a sense of solidarity.

Traditionally the conch shell is blown four times in Hawaiian ceremonies towards the four directions of north, south, east and west, but the demonstrators gave the conch shells a fifth blow in the direction of the building structure where they believed the TPP talks to be taking place.

The group was also aiming to break a Guinness World record for most people blowing conch shells collectively at one time. The previous world records stands at 295.

Participants included locals, visiting demonstrators, and tourists interested in a combination of the Hawaiian cultural tradition and the anti-TPP protests.