Ivi Triangle
The ivi triangle has been a popular resting place in Suva, and features an old ivi (Tahitian nut) tree. A small plaque sits beneath the ivi tree at the corner of Renwick Road and Scott Street. The inscription contains some misleading information about Fiji’s history.
Last updated on 21 Nov 2024
Timeline
1835
Wesleyan missionaries David Cross and William Cargill arrived at Lakeba in the Lau Group on 12 October, not on 14 October as written on the plaque.
1874
Fiji did become a British Crown Colony on 10 October. This is the only correct inscription on the plaque.
1880
Public land sales took place under a different ivi tree, now cut down. The current ivi triangle would have been underwater in 1880, fed by a stream that ran along Pratt Street. In the 1800s the sea came right up to the edge of Thomson Street, and the land beneath Dominion House was once a beach.
2012
Firefighters responded to calls that someone had attempted to set fire to the tree for unknown reasons.
2016
The tree was severely damaged after Cyclone Winston.
References
James Whitelaw, People, land and government in Suva, Fiji (Canberra: ANU, 1966).
Luisa Qiolevu, “Landmark Iconic Ivi Tree Gives In” Fiji Sun (22 February 2016)