Mika the busy mum calls into fish and chip shop

Perhaps she wanted her blue cod cooked for once.

No one really knows why Mika the sea lion ended up inside a Dunedin fish and chip shop on the way home to her pup.

Takeaways on Marlow store owner Rachel Ng said the female sea lion entered the St Kilda shop about 6pm on Sunday and stayed for about half an hour.

There had been one human customer in the takeaway at the time, but they quickly left.

Mika just lay on the floor soaking up the atmosphere, and the smell perhaps.

As far as she knew, no sea lion had ever come into the shop before, Ms Ng said.  

The Department of Conservation (Doc) was contacted and ranger Moss Thompson arrived to oversee Mika’s departure, which was achieved by banging a pot and using wooden shields to guide her outside and away from the shop.

Ms Ng said it was a bit bothersome as no customers could get in with Mika lying in the entrance during one of the busier times of the day for the business.

Outside a small crowd watched the sea lion, many of whom were waiting for her to depart so they could get themselves some takeaway.

Mr Thompson said Mika had been at sea gathering food for her pup and had stopped at the takeaway on the way back to her baby.

He had not heard of a sea lion going into such a business before and there was no clear reason for it, he said.

New sea lion mothers move inland after giving birth to protect themselves and the pups from harassment by males.

Mika, who has been staying in a section in St Kilda after giving birth on January 2, is the great, great granddaughter of Mum, the matriarch of the Dunedin sea lion group.

With more of them being spotted around the country over summer, the Department of Conservation last month reminded the public that sea lions and seals are not pets.

Footage of a seal pup wriggling through the front door of Sprig+Fern The Meadows in Richmond, Tasman, went viral in December.

Then DOC had to intervene last month in Christchurch when a member of the public threatened to take a wandering seal pup home.

DOC said the pup had travelled several kilometres from Redcliffs, through the Heathcote River, to Opawa, which was "not unusual".

Mr Thompson said at least 13 pups have been born in the Dunedin area over the past couple of weeks. The first was born on Christmas Day. DOC hopes for 35 pups to be born in the area this season.