The service to farewell the victims of the tragedy.

The service to farewell the victims of the tragedy.

The service to farewell the victims of the tragedy.

The service to farewell the victims of the tragedy.

Thousands of people turned out for the service.

The service to farewell the victims of the tragedy.

Mourners at the funeral service for those killed in the Easy Rider sinking.

More than 3000 people attended the funeral service of four men who died in the Easy Rider tragedy in Foveaux Strait last week.

Handfuls of mourners began to arrive at Rugby Park, in Invercargill, about 10am, with numbers swelling to a near-capacity crowd inside the stadium.

Traffic came to a standstill as the funeral cortege, including half a dozen buses from the Murihiku and Nga Hau e Wha marae, arrived.

Fairfax NZ GATHERING: Family and friends gather at Rugby Park for a memorial service for four of the victims of last week's Easy Rider tragedy.

Family members gathered in the car park before the service, which began just after 11am.

Mourners performed a haka inside the stadium as the families of the four men made their way to their seats.

Whanau of the men gave moving eulogies during the three hour service.

Fairfax NZ GATHERING: Family and friends gather at Rugby Park for a memorial service for four of the victims of last week's Easy Rider tragedy.

The men were on board the Easy Rider when it went down in rough seas on Thursday last week.

Four others - skipper Rewai Karetai, 47, Paul Jason Fowler-Karetai, 40, David George Fowler, 50, and Odin Karetai, 7 - are still missing.

Dallas Reedy, was found alive after he clung to a petrol can for 18 hours.

Donations for the Easy Rider Discovery Trust were taken at the service.