Tauranga's Doug Carter is scouting the city for dangerous spots to carry out the internet craze ‘planking', or ‘extreme lying down' as it is sometimes called.

Planking involves getting photographed in unusual locations while lying face down with arms at the side and legs stretched out.

Doug Carter poses for his first planking photograph in a tree located at Monmouth Redoubt.

At the weekend an Australian man died when planking on the seventh storey balcony of his apartment complex; he lost his balance and fell to his death.

Doug, aged 19, only started planking today after his friends on Facebook started commenting on the phenomenon.

Doug's first planking spot was high up in a tree in the Monmouth Redoubt.

His friend Bentley Jackson photographed him before they set off to find other locations.

'It's funny when you look at the photos so you think ‘yeah I'll give that a crack',” says Doug.

He was unaware that someone died in Australia trying to pose for a planking photograph and says it does not put him off continuing the fad.

Doug says he will try planking on top of the Matapihi Rail Bridge, on a cliff face at the top of Mauao and the blowhole in Mount Maunganui.

'I probably will put myself in more dangerous places,” says Doug.

'I feel bad (for the Australian man who died), it's not something that's taken lightly, it's still a very serious thing – but it happens.”

Doug says many of his friends on Facebook are competing to capture themselves planking at the most dangerous spot.

'Everyone was going on about it. I looked on YouTube and thought ‘I'm going to start this'.”

The 'Extreme Lying Down' Facebook page has 27,000 'likes', the 'Planking' Facebook page has 152,000 'likes' and the 'Planking Australia' Facebook page has 124,000 'likes'.

Editor's Choice YouTube Planking Video