It's either sea lions or a wharf - there's not enough room for both at Aramoana, a conservation group says.
The historic and dilapidated Pilot's Wharf was given a new lease of life in June when its owner, the Dunedin City Council, approved its restoration pending a funding drive from the Aramoana League.
But the Aramoana Conservation Trust appeared before the council's community and environment committee this week, pleading for the council to reconsider.
Trust chairman Bradley Curnow told the committee his concern centred on how an operational wharf and its associated foot and vehicle traffic would affect the spit's resident sea lion breeding population.
Sea lions, one of the rarest seal species in the world, were classed as nationally critical by the Department of Conservation - the highest threat classification.
Mr Curnow said the trust was not anti-visitor, but it was worried about visitors who could pose a threat to the sea lions.
The expected ferry services and associated tourists would be paying customers who were delivered to the spit's most isolated area with an expectation of getting value for money, he said.
He believed their expectations would be to get off a ferry to explore and see wildlife, without understanding the area's fragility or the rarity of the sea lions.
Part of the spit's conservation value was its difficult access, Mr Curnow said. Currently, those who made it to the end were willing to walk, and tended to respect what they found at the end of that walk.
''This is the whole point of this place. It's abandoned. It's barren. It's wild. And you've got to have your wild places.''
There was no position of compromise for the trust, he said.
''That's because I don't know if you can mitigate against a whole boatload of people on a sea lion haul-out area.''
While sea lions did ''haul out'' around other parts of Dunedin and Otago, they were often at risk of being bothered by dogs and humans at the other areas.
For now at least, that risk was lower at Aramoana's spit, Mr Curnow said.
Aramoana League secretary John Davis said he could not see Mr Curnow's concerns.
''Obviously, we don't. Our approach right from the start is there's been a wharf there for 100 years.
''We've used it as a wharf to sit on and fish on.''
Mr Davis said the tourist boat Monarch did used to come alongside the old wharf, and it could do again when the wharf was restored, but he could not see the potential issues Mr Curnow had raised.
He said it was possible tourists might not even leave the wharf.
''I see it as being business as normal. It'll be a wharf for small craft to tie up to. Fisherfolk can throw a line in. Walkers can use it.
''It's a beautiful part of the country and I want people to enjoy it.''
Council community and environment committee chairwoman Cr Jinty MacTavish said council staff had been told to prepare a briefing on the issue.
Cr MacTavish said there was no doubt increased foot traffic would result from a rebuilt jetty, but it was the impact of that increased traffic that was the issue.
''It comes back to having a good chat with staff about it.''
