Suva is the capital of Fiji and is a beautiful harbour city built on a peninsula reaching out into the sea. The city is perched on a hilly peninsula between Laucala Bay and Suva Harbour in the southeast corner of Viti Levu. The mountains north and west catch the southeast trade winds, producing moist conditions year-round.
An exciting multi-racial city, the Fijian capital was moved from Levuka to Suva in 1882 for its large, protected deepwater harbour and extensive space to grow. Much of its past still survives, for there are many small, quaint wooden bungalows and colonial administrative buildings that sit in juxtaposition to the modern offices and shopping plazas.
On Sundays it’s well worth attending church to hear the choral singing that is magnificent. Most churches have services in English, but none compare with the Fijian service at Centenary Methodist Church on Stewart Street.
A vital centre, Suva offers a great selection of restaurants including Chinese, Indian, traditional Fijian and European cuisine.
It’s also worth visiting the Thurston Gardens next to Government House, the official residence of the president of the Republic of Fiji.
Within Thurston Gardens, the Fiji Museum – recognised as one of the best of its type in the South Pacific – holds a remarkable collection of archaeological material dating back 3,700 years and cultural objects representing both Fiji’s indigenous inhabitants and the other communities that have settled in the island group over the past 200 years.
Not to be missed is the sprawling complex of municipal food and handicraft markets near the Kings Wharf that comes to life on Fridays and Saturdays. Here you’ll find an assortment of artefacts and handicrafts for sale, made by Fijians throughout the Island group.
The city is home to a large stadium that hosts top level rugby games and the University of the South Pacific campus – a tertiary educational hub for the Pacific.
Suva is best known for shopping, restaurants and nightlife at reasonable local prices compared to some of the tourism centric regions.
It is an economic, educational and regional hub for UN agencies and embassies as well as the seat of the Fijian government.
For those who like history, there’s Albert Park where Charles Kingsford-Smith landed his plane Southern Cross on his trans-Pacific flight in 1928. Across the road from the Park is the Grand Pacific Hotel, one of Fiji’s oldest hotels, that has hosted various members of the British Royal Family in the past.
