Norsewood is located in the heart of what was once the dense and towering forest known as the Seventy Mile Bush.
The town was established in 1872 with the arrival of 372 Norwegians and 11 Swedes aboard the Norwegian ship Hovding at Napier on 15 September 1872. The same day, the English ship Ballarat also arrived at Napier, its passengers including around 70 Danes.
Hovding arrived again at Napier on 1 December 1873, this time with 369 Norwegians - bringing altogether 752 immigrants on the two journeys.
Most of these people became Norsewood's pioneer settlers.
The remainder fulfilled the same role at the bush settlement of Dannevirke, some 22 kilometres away

Two of the first settlers were:

Maren HANSDATTER GULLIKTANGEN, born on 10th March 1845 in Skiptvet, Ostfold, Norway to Hans SYVERSEN and Anne BERGERSDATTER

- she married Theodor ANDREASEN HARALDSTAD (ANDREASEN) on 8th April 1870 in Tune, Ostfold, Norway

Theodor was born on 5th January 1844 in Opstad, Tune, Ostfold, Norway to Andreas NIELSEN OPSTAD and Berthe Marie PEDERSDATTER, the eldest of 7 children
- he emigrated on 31st May 1872 from Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway, on the SS "Hovding" to Napier, bound for Norsewood

- they had a daughter Annette Kirstine THEODORSDATTER (ANDREASEN) born in Norway on the 3rd May 1870 and who emigrated with them in 1872 at the age of 2
- Annette married Charles Elias GAUSTAD son of Pastor Christoffer GAUSTAD and Anna Gorina OULI about 1888 in New Zealand
- Charles was born in 1866 in India
- Annette & Charles had 6 known children

Maren died on 15 Mar 1924 in New Zealand.
- She was buried on 17 Mar 1924 in Norsewood Cemetery, Norsewood, Hawkes Bay in PLOT ?, PIONEER BLOCK 2 or 3, Section: Main
- her HEADSTONE reads: Maren ANDREASEN died 15 March 1924 aged 78 years

Theodor died in 1906 in New Zealand
- He was buried in Tarata Cemetery, Inglewood, Taranaki