Hundreds gather in Waikiki for fun-filled Today Show broadcast

WAIKIKI (HawaiiNewsNow) - It's not uncommon to see hundreds of people on the beach in Waikiki during the day, but a crowd of that size playing in the sand into the early hours of the morning could certainly be considered a rare occurrence.

NBC's popular Today Show descended upon the Royal Hawaiian Hotel overnight, broadcasting live between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. just feet from the crashing waves of a lingering south swell that kept hundreds of fans on their toes—and even wet, at times.

Despite receiving grief from members of the crowd for wearing their shoes in the sand, anchors Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales and Willie Geist were in no short supply of island culture during the three hour show, receiving hula lessons from local performers and an ukulele performance from Jake Shimabukuro.

The Today anchors spent the weekend in Hawaii, filming pieces for the show that included a visit to the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor and a canoe race featuring guest coach and big wave surfing legend Garrett McNamara.

Tune in to Hawaii News Now Sunrise between 4:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. for interviews, reaction and live reports from the Royal Hawaii Hotel with Grace Lee and Dan Cooke.

Hawaii News Now will re-air the Today Show, live in Waikiki, beginning at 7 a.m. on KHNL.