"It's great to see books are still so popular," Harrison said.
The little library is in the Department of Conservation's Otehei Bay Visitors Centre. Urupukapuka is the biggest of the Bay of Islands' roughly 145 islands, about 40 minutes by ferry from Russell or Paihia. It's part of the Ipipiri or eastern Bay of Islands group.
It has three Department of Conservation back-to-basics tent campgrounds where hundreds of people stay during summer. Campers walk across grassy hills or along the island's tracks to the bibliophiles' haven.
The library began with Harrison taking 150 books in two bright turquoise suitcases out to the island by boat from Paihia in December. A mix of novels, non-fiction and kids' books is on offer.
Roxanne Harrison, FNDC outreach librarian, with suitcases of books on Urupukapuka Island wharf, Bay of Islands, en route to starting up the pop-up library.
"We tried to pick a mix of books, including non-fiction books with emphasis on topics that were relevant to the location," Harrison said.
Novels have been chosen with a view to providing lighter holiday reading.
"We started out with quite a few kids' books, thinking they'd be the most popular, but what we've found is that it's the novels that adults are taking to read which are proving most popular," Harrison said.
Book stocks have been topped up a couple of times since the library opened, about 50 books at a time.
Booklovers are able to take a book or two with them when leaving the library, if they want to.
"And some people have swapped books too," Harrison said.
"The aim is to get books out into the community and get people reading."
Yachties are showing increasing interest in the tiny summer library, as word of mouth spreads.
The library's books are discards FNDC's mainland libraries have finished with. They're displayed on special purpose-built portable recycled cardboard shelves, outside on the visitors centre deck when the weather is fine.
Library fun days for kids and their whānau have also been held over the summer. These include crafts, Lego and virtual reality sessions.
The pop-up library is the result of brainstorming between Harrison and Bronwyn Bauer-Hunt, DoC Pewhairangi/ Bay of Islands operations manager, and a former Far North District Council Libraries manager.
The library's Otehei Bay location is the main centre on the 200 hectare Urupukapuka Island. In 1927 this became the deep sea fishing base for famed American author Zane Grey and a world-famous fishing resort was later built there.
Urupukapuka was pivotal to the Bay of Islands' economy and politics in pre-European times. It is protected under the Historic Places Act. It once supported a dense Māori population with people 1500 people on the island at the time of early European contact.
Its 73 archaeological sites include eight pa, fortified villages, gardens and food storage. It is known as one of New Zealand's best-preserved Māori archaeological sites due to its archaeological features' diversity and preservation and relatively undisturbed landscape.
The pest-free island has a network of walking tracks and is home to rare native birds such as pateke (brown teal) released as part of Project Island Song. A ferry service calls into the island. It is also popular with boaties in its many safe anchorages including Otehei, Otaio (Indico), Paradise and Urupukapuka bays.
