Norsewood and its fellow southern towns emerged in the 1870s from the bush that covered most of southern Hawke’s Bay. This was burned and felled by Scandinavian immigrants who were brought to New Zealand in 1872 to clear and farm the land. The process of transformation from forest to farmland was a huge task, which took decades. Shown here around 10 years after its foundation, Norsewood is still closely surrounded by native bush and very raw in appearance.