Thurston Gardens

Thurston Gardens occupy the ground in central Suva where the village of Suva stood before the colonial town was laid out, and they were established as botanical gardens in the 1820s and named for a governor who was also a serious botanist. They hold palms, orchids, and a good collection of Fijian and introduced tropical species, with the Fiji Museum in the middle and the Thurston clock tower, an 1918 memorial, near the entrance. It is the green space central Suva runs on.

What you actually see

• The palm collection - Fijian and introduced species through the grounds.
• The clock tower - the 1918 Thurston memorial near the entrance.
• The Fiji Museum - the national museum sitting in the middle of the gardens.
• The old village site - the ground the original Suva village occupied.

When to go

Year round; Suva is wet in every month and the gardens are green accordingly. Mornings are best before the afternoon rain. The gardens are open daily.

Honest expectations

They are modest by botanical garden standards and an hour covers them. Labelling is patchy. Suva's rain means the paths are often wet and the grass soft.

Nearby

The Fiji Museum is inside, Albert Park is alongside, and the Suva municipal market is a short walk north.