Where is norsewood new zealand

Norsewood is a town which refused to die when the main highway cut the town in two in and thus reflects the indomitable spirit and determination of the early Scandinavian Pioneers. Every year on a Sunday in May we celebrate Norway's National day. Our friends from around New Zealand converge on Norsewood to celebrate our mutual interests in Scandinavian heritage.

Colour, music, dancing and tradition all combine into a moving experience for all. Over the next several years, hundreds of other settlers also found themselves struggling to establish a new life on the many acre bush-covered 'farms' in the vicinity of Norsewood.

Which - in turn - became the district's main town. Life for these people was very hard. Poverty was well known in the district, as were natural calamities such as the Great Flood of that isolated the district for a few days, and the major fire of , that destroyed much of Norsewood and left around people homeless.

The New Zealand Government had promised to employ these immigrants on various Public Works, such as building roads and railways through the district.

However, things did not always go according to plan - especially when the country descended into economic depression around Also, when the long awaited railway eventually opened at the point nearest the town in August , it had bypassed Norsewood and passed through the town of Ormondville, which is six kilometres away.

Thus Ormondville's status rose, while Norsewood's status declined somewhat. Norsewood's situation on State Highway 2 brought the town to predominance again with the rise in car use. The re-alignment of the highway in divided Norsewood into the "Upper" and "Lower" halves. Now travellers only see signs and the bridge joining the two halves as they travel on the highway.

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Thank you for all links! Learn about the importance of wetland habitats and even feed the eels yourself by requesting at the New Zealand Natural Clothing store. See displays of relics used by Scandanavian immigrants when they first settled in New Zealand and the Norsewood area. In the adjacent garages are some heritage vehicles to discover. The Norsewood Pioneer Museum is open daily 8. Since arriving solo in New Zealand over 10 years ago and with a background in journalism, her mission has been to show the world how easy and awesome it is to travel New Zealand.

By using this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and the terms of use within it. Contact — Disclaimer. Skip to content. Location: 1 Coronation Street. Taste Some Cheese at the Rangiuru Farm Sample cheese straight from the farm or even learn how to make your own cheese from award-winning cheesemakers at the Rangiuru Farm. Fergusson's Railway Hotel was reached at the edge of the bush. The excavation for this small hotel and some of its trees are still to be seen. A further three miles was walked the next morning through the newly cleared dirt road to the natural bush clearing of Te Whiti where a crude shelter of punga sides and totara-bark roof had been built, in the first instance for the surveyors.

This was to be their home until the arrival of their wives and families who had remained in Napier. Two tents had been erected in readiness for supplies and in one of these Mr Drower operated a grocery business and the other was used as a butcher's shop by Mr Angus McKay later the first Mayor of Dannevirke and Mr Harry Monteith. Sections were balloted and each settler escorted to his densely forested section and shown the survey pegs.

Each man was given the implements necessary to clear his area sufficiently for the erection of a form of shelter. While the Norwegians and Swedes were conversant with the tools used for bush felling the Danes found them strange in an even stranger land but were ready to apply themselves.

The men who were to settle in Dannevirke helped the Norsewood settlers in their mammoth task and during those first few days injuries were many from felling trees and sharp implements. Twelve days after the arrival of the men the remaining party of wives and children from Napier arrived on horse drawn drays at the Te Whiti clearing to be housed there until their future homes were built. There was insufficient accommodation for everyone and many had to sleep outside on beds of fern and three boughs.

Their first meal was cooked in the open air over log fires and frypans and pannikins. The most petrifying experience of all was the number of Maoris from the nearby Maori Hill Pah who peered at them through the dark trees. Here then is the list of Norsewood's first male settlers. Never in the history of New Zealand was there more bitter disillusion or disappointment than that experienced by these people from Scandinavia.

They had of necessity to face what lay ahead as they were anchored to the settlement by lack of money, a strange language and many children. The men had worked hard to build shelters for their families although quite often two families shared the same humble abode. Some were built like that of the surveyors at Te Whiti and others were of white pine slabs which were simple to cut.

The home-made furniture was in keeping with its setting and cooking continued beneath the sky until clay could be found and corrugated iron bought for chimneys.

Menfolk soon began work hewing the roads with pick and shovel, forming the Te Whiti end first for easier access to the stores, whilst the women and children remained in their pathetic forest homes trying to grow, among the tree stumps, the vegetable seed which had been supplied. These gallant people had only their own resources and the comfort of each others presence to support them initially: there was no church, doctor, school or policeman.

Indeed a whole year elapsed before three families could invest their money in the first and only cow. A school for the children was discussed many times but appeared hopeless because of language barriers. Colenso finally arranged with Mr F. Thompson of Napier to undertake school teaching duties at Norsewood in August or September Mr Thompson had been educated at a private school in Malta and was prepared to learn yet another foreign language in order to promote the teaching of English to the Scandinavian children and many adults.

He also acted as a Minister of the church at the many funerals and his helpful advice was greatly appreciated. Attendance at school was very spasmodic due to much ill health, long distance and bad weather to say little of the lack of money necessary for schooling at this period. Men were finding work very difficult to find and many moved miles from their sections to earn the necessary money to keep up payments on their land.

Many could no longer get credit for stores but they were always comforted by the knowledge that the railway, which would pass through their village, would give ample work during its construction and eventually be of benefit to the entire area. But this never happened as the railway was re-routed six miles east of the settlement and never did the Norsewood settlers forgive "the Powers that be.

But work was not always to be had. More Scandinavians had arrived in the area and labour over-supplied the demand, besides which the progress of the railway was slow to many stoppages when the Public Works funds ran out. The so called farms which had by now been increased from 20 to 40 acres were left more or less in the hands of wives and children who grew everything possible for both home consumption and sale.

Laden with baskets full of produce and with small children dragging on their skirts they would walk to the nearest rail-head to sell their goods and, if they were fortunate in the mission, buy supplies which could not be home-grown. Flour was sold in lb. The women's hands were almost as callused as the men's but they did beautiful hand work and never were their knitting needles idle, whether it be at home or walking along the dusty or muddy roads.

Some had bought spinning wheels and small hand looms with their few precious belongings from "home" but these had to lie idle for a long time through lack of material. One or two logging camps had begun about and the logs were hauled by bullock wagon via Takapau and Waipukurau to the railway or mill in Waipawa.

The coming of the railway to Ormondville in and the plentiful supply of trees such as matai, rimu, totara, yellow pine and white pine prompted the establishment of saw mills locally and Milling Rights were issued.

The throb of the saw mill engines - some driven by water wheels and one by a mighty marine engine which could be heard for miles was companionable sound, but injury to the employees was very high. Dr Todd from Waipukurau was appointed to pay 26 visits per annum at a salary of pounds and between visits the settlers managed as best they could.