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Fiji – How do we stop time?It’s interesting, and indeed heartening, to see the reaction I got to my last two posts about...
12/08/2026

Fiji – How do we stop time?
It’s interesting, and indeed heartening, to see the reaction I got to my last two posts about Fiji and why we need to preserve history.
At last count the two posts had more than 20,000 views – history, or more specifically nostalgia, is definitely popular. As one person commented, people long for that simplicity and innocence we enjoyed in Fiji when we were younger. Many of us, of an older generation, wish we could go back to that simpler, calmer time. Before TV, before crime was out of control, when we knew our neighbours, and we lived at a slower pace.
When shops closed at midday on Saturday and there was no trading on Sunday, and we had to rush to the liquor shop after work during the week before it closed if we wanted to buy a few bottles of beer to take home for our ‘wash down’ after grog. When milk was delivered to your door by van and you had to run out with your pot to collect it and then it was boiled on the stove.
I grew up in the Suva suburb of Samabula. I remember going with my mother to Fong Hoon supermarket the well-known, family-owned business opposite the Samabula Police Station for our groceries. As well as the supermarket there was also a liquor store, and milk bar (I still remember the delicious potato scallops).
Next to Fong Hoon was a service station and a taxi stand. All the taxi drivers knew my mum as she was as regular customer. She knew all of them by name (I can only recall Yako and Bhai) and even if we didn’t have any money we could pay the next time.
Close by Fong Hoon was the post office, as well as a number of other shops, including a barber where I would be dragged to on a Saturday to get a haircut.
These are just a few of my memories. Everybody has their own memories of childhood and growing up, and they will go on at length about them when they get the chance, remembering who lived in a certain house, where a shop used to be, and who sold the best milk ice-block. Whether it’s Suva, Lautoka, Ba, Taveuni or Labasa – people have their stories to tell.
So, the question is how do we preserve our history? I don’t have a definite answer. In my travels I have seen what other countries have done but the question is would these ideas work in Fiji? And obviously who would pay for the said preservation.
An easy start is signage at historic sites – for example: one in Thurston Gardens explaining where the original of Suva was located etc. But Fiji doesn’t do signs very well, and the concern is these will be damaged or destroyed.
Could a walking guidebook with photos be compiled that would show you where to go and what to look out for; or is the answer an interactive app…as I said I don’t have an answer, but I am certain whatever method chosen will be popular. But, and it’s a big but, who would pay for this – Tourism Fiji, the government, city and town councils, the Fiji Museum?
Old buildings hold a special place in peoples’ hearts. Buildings they remember from their past – house, shops, schools and businesses. There are a number of building, especial in Levuka, which have been designated heritage building – The Royal Hotel; the Sacred Heart Church, and the Ovalau Club. In Suva there is the colonial-era government buildings, and as far as pre-colonial Fiji life goes there is the excellent Tavuni Hill Fort in the upper Sigatoka Valley. The site was built in the 18th century by Tongan chief Maile Latumai.
Can we do more? Can we preserve old homes and shops before they disappear? I know there is always a financial element to this, as practicality will overrule the nostalgia.
One place close to my heart is my old primary school Marist Brothers Primary School in Suva St, Toorak. The original school (actually it was just a house) opened in 1888 on Waimanu Road just above where the old Lilac theatre is located before moving the current site in 1889. At one time the school was divided by race into St Columba’s School and St Felix College before in*******al classes were started. (Here is a link to an excellent Fiji Times article that explains it in more detail: https://www.fijitimes.com.fj/the-marist-brothers-role-in-education/)
That school must be a treasure trove, I only hope that some of what was there has been preserved – even some of the desks we used in the 1970s were old when I got there. And those old wooden buildings were superb. It was a pity the spiral staircase that was there was removed. Imagine all the old boys who have come through Marist Suva Street – I am sure they would love to visit and take trip down memory lane.
I will stop here as I could talk forever on the subject, but I would love to hear what you think.
Can we do more or is it just a romantic notion?
*Martin Tiffany is an Australian-based journalist. Unless otherwise stated he pays for all his travel and related expenses. Any recommendation are his personal preferences.

11/08/2026

At first glance I thought these two boats had a nose-to-tail but quickly realised that it was a boat pushing a barge. It was a beautiful days walking along the Brisbane River from South Bank to Kangaroo Point and then catching the river cat ferry back. Highly recommended.

Good morning from a wonderful day here in Brisbane....simply stunning.
04/08/2026

Good morning from a wonderful day here in Brisbane....simply stunning.

Fiji – Preserving historyThey say you can never go home.When I was young I never understood that phrase, thinking it was...
02/08/2026

Fiji – Preserving history
They say you can never go home.
When I was young I never understood that phrase, thinking it was quite a stupid thing to say. Of course you could always go home!
With the passing years and growing maturity I began to realise how true that saying was. Time changes places and people, and you can never truly return to the past.
I have shared an old photograph that I came across a while ago. I am not quite sure who it belongs to or when it was taken but the image is looking down the hill, on the corner of Suva St and Toorak Rd, towards Renwick Road. That one photo evoked a lot of memories.
On the left it shows the wall (at the end of the playground) of the primary school I attended in the 1970s – Marist Brothers Primary School or Marist Suva Street or simply Suva St as it is more commonly referred to. A bit further down on the left is the roof of and old building that once housed a café where, in my first few years at Suva St, I would stop after school to get a cold drink and a piece of cake if I was lucky. A little bit past there was a book shop that sold comics – so many comics, but I had so little money!
On the right are the rusted iron roofs of old shops. I remember there was a Chinese shop there selling all manner of sweets. With just a few cents I was able to buy preserved ginger, mango skin and ‘Chinese lollies’ on my way to school. I would fill my pockets with these goodies and ate them during the day, leaving my fingers and pockets stained red which resulted in a growling from my mother when I got home.
On the right-hand corner at the bottom of Toorak Road was the Lilac Theatre where I watched more movies that I can recall. I also remember that just before Lilac, on (Toorak Road) was a tattoo shop/kiosk where my friends and I would go and peep in and watch people getting inked, vowing one day when we were older we would get one of those cool tattoos – perhaps the smiling skull with a top hat on.
Directly opposite the Lilac was (and still is I believe) Hotel Suva where one of my brothers once worked, and where my sister got married (upstairs in Skyline, I think it was called).
So, one photo, many memories. One spot with so much history, remembered not just by me but by generations of Suva residents.
Sadly, a lot of the physical history has gone, leaving nothing but fading memories and a few old photographs. A lot of the past has been erased unnecessarily in the name of progress without much thought given to what we are losing. Not just in Fiji, but worldwide.
I recently read an article which valued the global heritage tourism market at US$607.35 billion with a predicted annual growth or around 4.51%, which means it will be worth US$954.07 billion by 2034. Let that figure sink in.
This from an article in Fortune Business Insights:
“The Heritage Tourism Market focuses on travel experiences centered around historical sites, cultural landmarks, traditions, architecture, and inherited ways of life. This market plays a vital role in preserving cultural identity while supporting local economies through sustainable tourism practices. Heritage tourism attracts travelers seeking authentic experiences, educational value, and meaningful cultural engagement rather than conventional leisure travel. The Heritage Tourism Market Analysis highlights strong demand from culturally motivated travelers, academic groups, and experiential tourism operators. Increasing awareness of cultural preservation, improved accessibility to heritage destinations, and integration of storytelling into tourism offerings continue to strengthen the Heritage Tourism Industry. The Heritage Tourism Market Outlook remains positive due to growing interest in history-driven travel experiences and destination authenticity.”
(Source: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/heritage-tourism-market-112748)
And this from Forbes:
“As people grow older, they grow more curious about their origins and that of the culture that formed them. As individuals get more established, they often have the money and time to travel to historic heritage sites and to their own ancestral homelands.”
Can Fiji do more to capture a bigger part of this market? Meaning, not only attracting tourists interested in history and culture but also people who grew up in Fiji but moved overseas who are keen to take a walk down memory lane.
Fiji does have an active (and growing) heritage and cultural tourism market – historical landmarks, heritage tours and indigenous cultural frameworks.
There are guided tours by groups such as the National Trust of Fiji and Tourism Fiji.
There is the historical town of Levuka – Fiji’s first capital and a UNESCO World heritage site.
There are the Sigatoka Sand dunes, an archaeological site where traces of the Lapita people have been unearthed.
There is Navala Village in the Ba Highlands with its thatched buildings and traditional architecture.
In Nadi there is the striking Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple, the largest Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere. While the new temple is more prominent, there was an original temple on site dating back to the early 1900s.
Back in Suva is the Fiji Museum located in the historic Thurston Garden, and housing an extensive collection of archaeological artifacts and historical exhibits on Fijian life.
But can we do more to preserve and showcase Fiji’s history?
What are your thoughts?
I’d love to hear from you.
*Martin Tiffany is an Australian-based journalist. Unless otherwise stated he pays for his own travel and related expenses. All recommendations are his personal preferences.

Suva – echoes of yesterdayThe other day an old photograph of businessman Henry Marks, in what is said to be the first ca...
29/07/2026

Suva – echoes of yesterday
The other day an old photograph of businessman Henry Marks, in what is said to be the first car in Fiji, turned up on Facebook. The photo I believe was taken beside the fountain in Suva’s Thurston Gardens around 1920.
It got me thinking of my own childhood in Suva in the late 1960s and 1970s and going to that very same fountain with my father. Suva was a different place then. I was too young to remember much from the late 1960s when the end of British rule was in sight and Fiji raced towards independence from Britain.
I do, however, remember being at Albert Park on October 10, 1970 with my dad and brother as the then Prince Charles presented the Instruments of Independence to Fiji’s first Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. To be honest, I don’t remember any of the pomp and pageantry but I do remember being there and being given a bottle of soft drink. In my defence I was only four years old.
I grew up as the sun was truly setting on the British Empire, with Fiji, after almost 100 years of British rule, slowly finding its feet and making its way in the world as an independent nation.
The changes didn’t happen with a bang but slowly gathered momentum once independence was gained. It wasn’t a mass exodus of the British and other Europeans, with many civil servants, business owners and professionals staying on, but there was a significant number who did leave.
I grew up in the Suva suburb of Samabula, directly opposite the home of Sir Maynard Hedstrom who, along with Percy Morris founded the retail firm Morris Hedstrom. Sir Maynard passed away in the house in 1951, long before I was a neighbor, but his descendants (his grandson and family I believe) still lived there when I arrived and were the last occupants of the residence before it was sold in 1986.
The house and land is now home to the Australian High Commission.
I did not mean this to become a walk down memory lane, rather I wanted to show what a vibrant history Fiji’s capital (and indeed, other parts of Fiji) has – from its colonial era when Fiji was ceded to the United Kingdom in 1874; the arrival of the first Europeans in the late 1700s; and the early indigenous settlement of the country.
Interestingly, the indigenous settlement of Suva was established at the site of Thurston Gardens in the early 1800s (although I am sure there was a settlement there long before this dates from our history books). The iTaukei were forced to move from here to Suvavou (literally translated as New Suva) by the colonial powers who wanted to make room for the new capital in Suva. The capital was moved from the original capital of Levuka in 1877 because of the lack of room for expansion, and the administration of the colony was transferred in 1882.
You don’t have to look far in Suva to see echoes of its past. Suvavou village is still there, across the bay in Lami. Thurston Gardens is still there, next door is the Fiji Museum, which is an excellent place to go to start to get an idea of the country’s history. Across the road is Albert Park, named after Prince Albert (the consort of Queen Victoria), where in 1928 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith landed his plane during his first trans-Pacific flight from the US to Australia.
Beside Albert Park is the old Parliament House and Government Buildings built in the 1930s. A look at some of the roads bounding it gives you a glimpse of its British colonial past - Gladstone Road; Thurston Street and Victoria Parade.
You get the idea, look and you will find. There used to be an excellent guided walking tour of Suva visiting culturally and historically important landmarks, which I understand still runs.
Next time you visit Fiji make a point of learning about some of its history, it will definitely make a change from the usual resort-based holiday.
Writing this has got me thinking, maybe I should go on my own Suva history tour and revisit some of the places I haven’t been for a while, and hopefully discover something new. I am definitely keen to write more about Suva’s history.
*Martin Tiffany is an Australian-based journalist. Unless otherwise stated he pays for all his travel and related expenses. Any recommendation are his personal preferences.

28/07/2026

I was fortunate to have been able to tick something off my list when, with family, we hired a narrowboat and went cruising on the canals around Oxford. Such a different experience to taking a boat out on the river or the sea. I even got to operate the locks...simply fascinating. Hopefully I am able to do it again one day soon. The Oxford Canal is a 78-mile long narrowboat waterway in central England that connects the city of Oxford, Banbury, and the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury.

26/07/2026

Despite the drizzle and dark clouds it was still a spectacular view from the Cape Byron Lighthouse. In fact it added a magical atmosphere. Situated on Australia's most easterly point, the iconic Cape Byron Lighthouse is just a 9-minute drive (3.5 km) from Byron Bay town centre. Built in 1901, it is the country's most powerful lighthouse, offering sweeping ocean views, whale watching, and access to the Maritime Museum.

24/07/2026

Various and varied rays and sharks share this tank. I believe one of them is the shovel-nosed ray shark. Fantastic and majestic creatures.

22/07/2026

Clownfish are the best. Clownfish or anemonefishes (genus Amphiprion) are saltwater fish found in the warm and tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. They mainly inhabit coral reefs and have a distinctive colouration typically consisting of white vertical bars on a red, orange, yellow, brown or black background. Clownfish developed a symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship with sea anemones, on which they rely for shelter and protection from predators.

20/07/2026

Can you spot the surfers? High on the hill at the Byron Bay lighthouse I noticed these surfers in the water below. I wonder if Chris Hemsworth is among them?Situated on Australia's most easterly point, the iconic Cape Byron Lighthouse is just a 9-minute drive (3.5 km) from Byron Bay town centre. Built in 1901, it is the country's most powerful lighthouse, offering sweeping ocean views, whale watching, and access to the Maritime Museum.

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