Suva

Travel journalist, Ian Cross, takes to the road for a series of short reports on people, places and events across the globe – The Grassroots Tour…

Suva, nowadays it’s the centre of government for this nation of 300 islands. Its few decadent buildings, such as the recently refurbished Pacific Grand Hotel, point to a colonial past.

Somerset Maughan, James Michener and the many who have come here to be captivated by – or capture – Fiji’s natural resources, have all stayed here.

Albert Park, opposite, was where Charles Kingsford Smith landed his biplane, en route to becoming the first to cross the Pacific by air.

Suva’s jail also reflects a bygone era; built in 1912, it appears unchanged in a hundred years.

The busy central bus station is in the centre of town. Here you will also find Suva’s bustling and colourful municipal market, which showcases the agricultural produce grown on Vitu Levu, including the popular staple, tarrow.