Friends and family farewelled Tauranga man Rhys Middleton yesterday after he was killed in a motorbike crash last Sunday.

Friends and family farewelled Tauranga man Rhys Middleton after he was killed in a motorbike crash last Sunday. Photos: Chris Callinan.

The 23-year-old died when the motorbike he was riding and a car collided on the State Highway 5, near Napier, about 10am on February 7.

On Saturday, friends and family stopped momentarily outside a bar/restaurant in Greerton, just for 30 seconds. But they were emotion charged seconds.

That's where Rhys Middleton's future lay until he was cut down by a tragic motorbike accident last week.

The eatery is Greer's Gastro Bar – 23-year-old Rhys was a manager there, his fiancée Laura was a chef there and the business is owned by his in-laws to be, Laura's mum and dad.

'People liked him and liked his style," Rhys' dad Mike Middleton told SunLive earlier this week. "They would come in and he would have their drinks ready for them.”

The stop-off was a mark of respect, a moment to remember.

Earlier friends, family and colleagues remembered Rhys at a memorial service at Classic Flyers – a bloke who was loved and respected by all he came in contact with.

Then a funeral cortege preceded by a cavalcade of motorbikes headed into town and down Cameron Road to Pyes Pa Memorial Park. But not before stopping briefly outside Greer's.

Rhys was on his way home from Napier last weekend when the accident happened. He had been attending a rally with his dad Mike and brother Ryan. His bike was in collision with a car driven by a tourist.

Rhys Middleton was a manager at Greer's and was due to be married this time next year.