The Department of Conservation confirmed this was Moana, one of Dunedin’s female sea lions, descended from Mum, who has a statue in her honour in The Esplanade nearby.
An older female, Moana was known to spend time at St Clair.
Doc biodiversity ranger Jim Fyfe said a 4-year-old, Doris, had also spent time at the beach recently.
More than 30 breeding-age females (4 years old and older) were among the Dunedin population this year, but not all breeding-age females would have pups.
This summer was the most successful breeding season for the threatened species since it returned to Dunedin shores about 30 years ago.
Doc staff, along with the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust and Te Runanga o Otakou, tagged 20 pups from St Kilda to Warrington. The threshold for Doc to declare Dunedin a breeding colony is 35 pups a year over five years.
