"I'm going away for seven days. See you soon," the note reads, signed off with her initial 'L' and a heart.
In the note, she said she had left some money towards rent, and would put some more "under the door" later that day.
Her mystified flatmate said he had no idea Ormsby was going to Bali, but he had noticed a recent change in her behaviour.
"She said she was stressed and needed to get away from everything, life was getting too much. But she was also one of those people who made a big deal about everything so I didn't pay too much attention," he is quoted as saying in Woman's Day.
"She stopped going to work, I can't work out whether she lost her job or just left. But she was staying at home during the day."
Ormsby is stressed, sleeping on the floor and has had only one friend visit her cell, her Indonesian lawyer told Radio New Zealand.
Ari Soenardi said Ormsby went to Bali alone as a backpacker.
He said he had taken her books on how to speak basic Indonesian, and had found her in a cell with four other female prisoners. She had a mat to sleep on.
Kerry Smith-Douglas, a lawyer who worked on the Shapelle Corby case, said unless Ormsby paid $100 a week for a bed, she would share the floor with rats, Radio New Zealand reported.
Ormsby is originally from Rotorua, but had been living in Sydney, it is understood. She has family living on both sides of the Tasman, but none were able to be contacted yesterday.
A press conference will be held by Bali police at 9am local time today (2pm NZT), authorities have told journalists on the Indonesian island, where it is expected they will parade Ormsby, as well as the drugs confiscated from the villa, in front of the media.
A large media contingent is still in Bali following the release of Australian drug smuggler Corby 10 days ago.
Authorities carried out a similar show with Corby when she was arrested a decade ago.
Ormsby's arrest comes just days after Corby, 36, was released on parole after spending nine years in Bali's notorious Kerobokan Prison, after being convicted of importing 4.2kg of marijuana in a boogie board bag.
Under Indonesian law, all of the substances allegedly found on Ormsby are classed as the equivalent of New Zealand's Class A drugs and carry the stiffest penalty.
Anyone convicted of possession faces four to 12 years' imprisonment and fines of up to $820,000. However, for more than 1kg of "raw" drugs such as marijuana or more than 5g of "processed drugs" including methamphetamine, a maximum sentence of life imprisonment can be imposed.
Traffickers face between five and 15 years' jail and fines of more than $1 million. The death penalty may also be imposed.
