An injured female elephant seal with signs of a spear gun wound on its back has drawn a crowd at Goose Bay, south of Kaikoura.

A wounded female elephant seal has drawn a crowd of concerned and curious onlookers south of Kaikoura since it reached the shoreline at Goose Bay on Saturday.

The more than 3-metre long seal appears to have been shot in the back with a speargun, an incident thought to have influenced its decision to make a rare appearance on dry land on this region of the South Island coast.

People travelling along State Highway 1 at Goose Bay, 16km south of Kaikoura stopped to watch – and in some cases touch – the seemingly placid mammal.

Supplied People have been stopping to have a look at the elephant seal at Goose Bay on State Highway 1 near Kaikoura.

Department of Conservation staff erected a rope barrier around the seal in a bid to prevent people venturing too close.

Goose Bay Camping Ground manager John Mahoney said he believed the seal arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning.

"It's just lying there resting," he said, anticipating it would eventually return to the Pacific ocean.