Fiji Museum

Lapita pottery to the HMS Bounty rudder in Thurston Gardens

The Fiji Museum is a must-see for anyone spending time in Suva. The collection covers Fiji's history from its earliest Lapita settlers — represented by some of the oldest pottery in the Pacific — through the cannibal era, the colonial period, and independence. Highlights include a sacred priest's house, war clubs, the rudder of HMS Bounty, and the carefully labelled "cannibal forks" that were once used in ritual feasts.

The museum sits inside Thurston Gardens on Victoria Parade, a short walk south of the centre. Allow an hour and a half; longer if you read the case captions, which are unusually well written.

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A story
The museum's collection includes the rudder of HMS Bounty, recovered from Pitcairn in 1933 — a tangible piece of the most famous mutiny in maritime history.