The Waitaki District Council revealed the number after issuing an innocuous press statement this week as an "annual reminder" to stay out.
The principal focus by the district council was that the public are not allowed on the breakwater due to a coastal consent issued in 2007 by the Otago Regional Council.
The district council mainly outlined the financial risk posed if it was found to be not meeting the conditions of keeping people off.
District council commercial and property lead Claire Foster said the Waitaki District spent $6000 on security firm callouts in the summer of 2023-24 to remove people from the breakwater.
"While we recognise that for some walking on the breakwater was an essential part of their child or adulthood, [the] council would like to encourage the community and visitors to find another spot to view korora or fur seals and avoid any further expense to the ratepayer."
Under the consent conditions, no-one was permitted on the Oamaru Harbour Breakwater at any time of year, but especially to view korora (blue penguin), Ms Foster said.
About 1200 people had contravened the rules in the past year.
Ms Foster said the council had written to accommodation providers and had provided bilingual posters highlighting to visitors the prohibited areas of the breakwater.
It was "encouraging" people to view korora at the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony "or at any of the other locations not covered by the coastal consent".
She said people flaunting the conditions posed a risk of being fined by the district council plus any costs of investigating non-compliance by the regional council, and the cost of additional barriers or increased monitoring of the site.
The end of traditional access to Oamaru’s breakwater has caused grief for many locals.
This was highlighted in December 2023 when Oamaru local Andrew Yoeman and his friends were ordered out of the Sandy Beach area, on the inner side of the breakwater, by an overzealous security guard.
The council later apologised for what it attributed to as "just a bit of confusion" as Mr Yoeman and friends were not actually on the breakwater.
Penguin colony science and environmental manager Dr Philippa Agnew said they had seen people getting into potentially serious trouble on the breakwater — principally on the seaward-side rocks.
"We have seen people access the breakwater, and people end up in quite an unsafe place."
Dr Agnew said inevitably people were unaware of the volatility of the environment. That included meeting rogue breakers, or encountering a sea lion.
People being spotted by colony staff were immediately reported to security via the district council.
"We share their concern around safety — some people don’t realise how quickly things can change down there."
Dr Agnew said some people might be hoping to sight penguin.
But in most cases people were entering the breakwater outside the nocturnal hours when penguins come ashore.
"Generally people just see it and want to walk out on it ... It’s not just the evenings."
