Norsewood Pioneer Cottage Museum

Norsewood Pioneer Cottage Museum displays the Scandinavian heritage of the district. It is furnished in a colonial Scandinavian style with original artefacts. Also displayed in adjacent garages are machinery and gigs etc. The old Ormondville gaol is also on site, which was in use from 1894-1930, and can be entered! School parties maintain a lot of interest and the museum provides a focal point for the community and for increasing numbers of people trying to trace their roots. Assistance is provided where possible.

Norsewood was founded by mainly Norwegian settlers in 1872 as a loggers settlement, and retains a Scandinavian tenor. The village was carved out of the forest, and was subsequently destroyed in a fire in 1888.

The government of New Zealand requested Norwegian immigrants and made an agreement with Winge & Co. in Christiania, which would allow for 3,000 emigrants to New Zealand. In the years 1870–76, nearly 1,000 Norwegians moved to the Norsewood area.