Travel back to discover what life was like in the Fiji Islands over 3,700 years ago at the Fiji Museum. Located within the Thurston Gardens botanical site in the city centre of Suva, the museum displays an amazing array of antiquities and artifacts that date back a few millennia as wellas insights into Fiji's more recent history.
Established at the current site in 1955, the building houses galleries which delve into the historical, cultural, political and linguistic evolution of the Fijian Islands over the past 100 years as well as archaeological finds. The centrepiece of the Fiji Museum is the Ratu Finau - a huge drua or double-hulled canoe used at sea and to transport warriors. Other examples of Fiji's not-so-friendly past include war clubs, and detailed exhibits about the relations between the Europeans and indigenous population such as the mutiny on the HMS Bounty and cannibalism – including the boiled sole of a hapless missionary.
Take a journey through the traditional Fijian way of life through musical instruments, weaving craft, cooking utensils and jewellery – including whale-tooth necklaces of the clan chiefs. The Indo-Fijian Gallery upstairs exhibits the contributions of Fiji's Indian population through agricultural innovations, intricate traditional costumes and dress and Hindu artifacts, as well as displays of contemporary art. Outside is the historic and picturesque Thurston Gardens, which occupies the original Fijian town of Suva, with exotic plants and a colonial-style clock tower and gazebo.
To visit the Fiji Museum, it's a five-minute walk from the city centre of Suva. Head down Waimanu Road, turn right onto Renwick Road and continue along Scott Street. Continue onto Victoria Parade and turn left at Cakobau Road to reach Thurston Gardens and the Fiji Museum. Entry is FJ$7 for adults and FJ$5 for children up to 15 years.
