The Department of Conservation is warning people to stay well away from sea lions after tourists were seen getting too close to the animals in order to take photos.
Glynis Corson shot video and photos on Monday of tourists posing with sea lions at Sandfly Bay near Dunedin.
In the video, a young female tourist moves closer and closer to a large male sea lion, before playfully posing just feet away from the powerful animal.
The sea lion watches her suspiciously before lunging, scaring her away.
Ms Corson said Sandfly Bay is a remote spot accessed by scrambling down a steep sand bank, and if someone was injured by a sea lion, medical attention would be hard to access.
"If she was badly injured it would have been a helivac," Ms Corson said.
"I live local and on this day there were probably 20-plus sea lions on the beach, and loads of visitors - maybe up to ten self-contained campervans in the car park.
"Folks used to do tour bus trips with a tour guide - most probably they would educate visitors on wildlife - but now so many self-guided folks travel NZ, who either do not read signs or do not care.
"I believe they just are totally unaware of the recommended distance to view wildlife from."
DOC recommends staying at least 10 metres away while they are resting, and 20 metres or more when they are active.
Jim Fyfe, DOC's biodiversity ranger for the coastal Otago district, said New Zealand sea lions are believed to have a bite force of about seven times the power of an average dog.
The population on the mainland has undergone a remarkable resurgence, he said, with more and more pups being born each year since a lone female arrived in 1994.
The 400kg males "can move surprisingly fast over short distances," Mr Fyfe said, "and it's best not to put that to the test.
"If you get too close, they will do a bluff charge at you ... they are not afraid of people and they have their own sense of personal space.
"Big heads and big muscles ... it's all geared up for a strike with the head and canines ... you don't want to be in the way of that sort of power.
"Having said that, they're not aggressive ... so those sorts of things would happen by accident really, if you're pushing the limit and going too close to them and playing silly buggers, that's when those accidents are going to happen."
Mr Fyfe said more tourists are travelling New Zealand by themselves now, and that he is heartened by the fact the community has stepped up to keep and eye on tourists around the sea lions.
"We have, over the summer period, volunteers visiting the beaches and keeping an eye on things and helping to educate foreigners," Mr Fyfe said.
Signage at the entrance to the beach specifically says not to get too close to the sea lions, and other animals.
DOC is currently working on improving that signage to be more urgent, and more universally understood, and it is expected to be in place within a year.
New Zealand sea lions are critically endangered, numbering about 12,000 across the country. Males can weigh up to 400kg.
It is an offence under the Marine Mammals Protection Act to harass, disturb, injure or kill a New Zealand sea lion - the maximum penalty is two years in prison or a fine of up to $250,000.
Mr Fyfe said tracking down tourists who may have harassed animals was difficult due to their transient nature, so the key is instead to focus on education and prevention rather than enforcement.
"This little population is in the midst of a human population, so we really do need to get that understanding and that sense of sharing coastal space with these animals."
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