Tucked behind the Westpac bank is a shop where the shelves are lined with big glass jars of tea, the air smells faintly of lavender and lemongrass, and the woman behind the counter will happily talk with you for twenty minutes about why you need it. Meet Tanja Lajunen – herbalist, aromatherapist, homeopath, massage therapist, Whitianga local, and the heart of the town’s newest wellness hub.
In the blood
Tanja was raised in this world. Her family has always marched to its own beat – alternative thinkers, a little eccentric. Her grandmother grew all the food the family ate, long before “organic” became a buzzword.
When Tanja married, she found more of the same. Her in-laws lived and breathed the old ways – organic growing, biodynamics, and a deep belief that the earth provides if you let it. They’d remind her that back in the 1920s, everything a family needed to live could be found within 45 kilometres of home.
Tanja has raised her own children the same way – as naturally and organically as possible, and through Rudolf Steiner education.
A Lifetime of study
Tanja has spent decades chasing knowledge. It started at Wellpark College, a place steeped in old wisdom and unconventional teaching, where she studied herbal therapy, homeopathy, and aromatherapy – trying her hand at all of it.
Then came five years at the Waikato Centre of Herbal Medicine, studying exactly how and why plants work in the human body.
Whitianga through the years
Tanja is, without question, a Whitianga local. She’s lived here for over forty years. In that time, she has worked at three separate wellness businesses around town: first at All Things Organic on Monk Street, then running a clinic and massage practice out of The Earth Store, and later at The Wellness Store, until it closed.
So when an empty space came up behind the Westpac bank, Tanja took a deep breath and finally struck out on her own.
Birth of the Whitianga Health and Wellbeing Centre
Boxes arrived. Shelves went up. Jars filled with teas promising calm, energy, and balance took their place along the walls – the Whitianga Health and Wellbeing Centre was born.
Tanja sources as organically and locally as she can, and over time she has steadily built knowledge and relationships with her suppliers. Some of her best products come from right here in the Coromandel.
Ask her for something specific and she won’t simply hand it over the counter. She’ll sit you down and explain exactly what it does in your body – or, if it’s an aromatherapy oil, why she chose that particular blend for you.
More than a shop
For Tanja, this was never just about selling products. It’s the culmination of decades of study, a lifetime of working intuitively with natural medicine, living close to the land, and years of listening to what people need.
“It’s about listening to your own body” is the message she gives everyone who walks through her door. That’s really what the Whitianga Health and Wellbeing Centre is all about – a place where people can have proper conversations about their health, and learn to pay attention to their own bodies again.
Tanja also plans to start a monthly herbal group, where locals can gather to explore a particular plant or herb together. She’s warm, easy going, and incredibly knowledgeable.
If you haven’t met her yet, pop into the Whitianga Health and Wellbeing Centre behind the Westpac Bank and say hello. Health and wellbeing isn’t just her business. It’s her passion, and she’ll happily share it with you over a cup of liquorice and ginger tea.
