The man was arrested inside the store before he could leave, and police soon determined he had swallowed the egg, prompting what became a round-the-clock monitoring effort as authorities waited for the item to reappear naturally, without medical intervention.
"Given this man is in Police custody, we have a duty of care to continue monitoring him given the circumstances of what has occurred," Inspector Grae Anderson said earlier this week, The 18-karat gold, painted with green enamel and set with 183 diamonds and two sapphires, the roughly 3.3-inch locket opens to reveal an intricate "18ct yellow gold octopus nestled inside, adorned with white diamond suckers and black diamond eyes," according to the store’s description.
The man, who has not been publicly named, appeared in court on Nov. 29 but did not enter a plea to the theft charge.
He has remained in custody since, with officers stationed beside him throughout the wait for the pendant’s return.
He is scheduled to appear again in Auckland District Court on Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.