what is a thermette?
Early advertisements called it a "quick boiling picnic kettle", significantly reducing the length of time it took to boil water. Invented in New Zealand, the thermette was a popular addition to many picnics and outdoor adventures across the country from the 1930s.
Interview about the history of the thermette. 2021.
Katie Cooper (Te Papa Curator of New Zealand Histories and Culture) talks about the history of the thermette.
Radio New Zealand
Early promotion to buy the Thermette. 1930.
Advertised as "an ideal quick boiling picnic kettle".
National Library of New Zealand
Using a thermette [short video]
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Interview with the founder of the Marlborough Thermette Society. 2021.
The club is dedicated to thermettes, which do outdoor meets up and boil their water together.
Radio New Zealand
Thermette
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The portability of the thermette
The thermette in action across New Zealand - at picnics, by the beach, by the river, while camping, at the side of the road.
Picnic near Nelson, 1967
Auckland Libraries
Firing up the thermette, 1953
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Beach Holidays - oral interview
Palmerston North City Library
Story reviewed and updated January 2025.